


Reporting for Duty!

by shirosteponme



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Police, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Police Officer Kuroo Tetsurou, Police Officer Sawamura Daichi, Police Officer Sugawara Koushi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:35:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24042178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shirosteponme/pseuds/shirosteponme
Summary: Officer Daichi Sawamura is assigned a new task of investigating potential illegal yakuza gambling rings in his hometown of Miyagi. This new assignment brings new teammate Tetsurou Kuroo into town from the Tokyo police department; he's a stranger to Miyagi but very familiar with investigative work and yakuza plots. The two get to working together right away, but there might be more to Kuroo than meets the eye. Remnants from his past may put the assignment, and his relationship with Daichi, at risk of complete failure.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Here to show more appreciation for this underrated but incredibly sexy pair, I think the power dynamics between these two are so interesting so here’s more fics for KuroDai. 
> 
> Some caveats: I know absolutely nothing about what it’s like to be a police officer, my knowledge is limited to what I saw in Zootopia and police theme yaoi mangas so I apologize if things are wrong or very broad, I also know absolutely nothing about how yakuza work BUT I tried my best so please enjoy! For this story, I’m treating Miyagi like it is a town rather than a prefecture since it’s the most recognizable location name for the Karasuno team. Thank you for reading! I’ll try to update regularly : D

“Daichi! The chief is calling for you, says he needs to talk to you about a new assignment,” said Sugawara.

Daichi looked up from his paperwork, surprised. He was in the middle of filing the last of the evidence away for his current assignment, granted there wasn’t much left, but it was rare that he would be given something new in the middle of another project. Must be something important. He tapped the papers in his hands against the top of the desk before sliding them neatly into their manilla folder, passing them off to Sugawara to file away before he headed in the direction of the chief’s office.

Before he opened the door he knocked twice. “Chief Ukai? You called sir?”

“Come in Daichi,” Chief Ukai said from inside.

Daichi opened the door and bowed his head out of respect before looking up at the chief. The smell in the room hit him first - the scent of tobacco weighed heavily in the air. When Daichi looked up he realized why; Chief Ukai wasn’t alone. Both the Chief and someone Daichi had never seen before were smoking. The man was tall, around six feet and a couple inches, with tall styled black hair and cool dark brown eyes. His face was well built, the lines in it implied that he was strong. When they made eye contact the man’s eyes widened in surprise. Daichi bowed to the stranger as well, just in case that person was older than he was.

“No need to bow Daichi you two are the same age,” Coach Ukai said, “This is Tetsurou Kuroo from the Tokyo branch”

Daichi looked over and extended his hand for a handshake, which Kuroo took warmly. What was an officer from the Tokyo branch doing here in Miyagi?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Kuroo-san,” Daichi said.

“I’m looking forward to working with you,” Kuroo replied, “I’ll be in your care”

“Kuroo is here to help work on your next assignment,” Chief Ukai said, “There have been reports of potential illegal yakuza gambling ploys here in Miyagi and apparently he’s an expert”

“You’re too kind, Chief Ukai, I just happened to be on the team investigating a similar case in Tokyo a few months ago, I’m still new to the field,” Kuroo said.

“That’s very impressive Kuroo-san, I’ll be in your care as well then,” Daichi said.

“He’s new to Miyagi so I’m relying on you Daichi to help show him around and get him used to the office,” Chief Ukai said. He reached over to the corner of his desk for a manilla folder with a yellow tag stuck to the corner. Getting up from his seat, he walked over to the two of them and placed the folder in Daichi’s hands.

“Here’s what we’ve got so far on the case. It’s not much, but I’m sure you’ll make do,” Coach Ukai said, “Ask me or Ms. Kiyoko if you need any help”

“Yes sir,” Daichi said before he turned to Kuroo, “Have you had lunch yet?”

Kuroo shook his head and Daichi smiled.

“Let’s get something to eat then, and I’ll show you around town,” Daichi said, ushering for Kuroo to follow him.

As they left the office Daichi introduced Kuroo to a couple other officers there and pointed to where things were, like the Files room and the break room. Kuroo spoke politely with the other officers; he seemed to emanate a confident charm that left a couple of the ladies at the front desk giggling. Daichi chuckled.

“Chief Ukai said you worked at the Tokyo Branch before, how do you like the countryside so far,” Daichi asked.

“There’s no neon lights or loud music, but It’s nice,” Kuroo said, “I haven’t been away from the city in a long time”

“Did you grow up in Tokyo”

“Not exactly, but somewhere near there. My family worked in Tokyo so I was there often. What about you Daichi-san?”

“I was born and raised here in Miyagi. My family never liked me being too far away, I’m their only son”

“Having doting parents must be nice”  
“Now that I’m older I can appreciate it, when I was younger all I wanted to do was run to the city”

“You’ve never been to Tokyo?”

“I’ve been once or twice, but not for very long. Usually it was for work”

“That’s a shame, Tokyo is beautiful”

“Yes, it’s very different from the countryside”

“Have you been in the police force for very long, Daichi-san?”

“This will be my third year here”

“Ah, I see”

The two decided to eat at a soba restaurant a couple blocks from the station. The owner was well acquainted with Daichi already and happily seated the two of them at the bar, pouring them cold tea while chatting away about what strange customers he’d had the night before. Kuroo remained largely quiet, but he watched Daichi and the owner conversing energetically. Back in Tokyo he would be trying a new restaurant every other week; it was nice to see the small town quirk and comforts.

“Are there lots of good soba restaurants in Tokyo? There must be good restaurants for everything there huh,” Daichi said.

“There are, but there are a lot of bad ones too,” Kuroo said, “Not a lot of restaurants specialize in just one item anymore”

“That’s what you get when you live in the city,” the owner said with a huff, “We only make soba and we do a pretty damn good job of it, if I do say so myself”

Daichi laughed. Kuroo picked up his chopsticks and took a long piece of soba into his mouth, slurping it up noisily. It really was good.

…

After the two finished their meal, Daichi suggested that they take a look around the typical patrol routes; Daichi drove while Kuroo sat in that passenger seat.

“Most of the shops here in town are located around these six blocks. Usually things are pretty quiet but there is the occasional robbery”

“Are we going to be on patrol duty often”

“It’s about maybe half and half patrol duty and investigative work. Since we have this assignment we’ll be doing more investigative work, but part of that work might be patrol work for the suspicious areas we find”

“I see. This will be a new experience for me then”

“Weren’t you on a similar assignment in Tokyo?”

“I was, but the team was very large so I never took part in the on-site operations. I stayed mainly at the office offering what I knew”

“Ah, then you’ll have a chance to learn a thing or two here”

“I’m looking forward to it, Daichi-san. Do you mind if I smoke?”

“Not at all, open the window though if you’re going to smoke”

Kuroo rolled the glass down as he slid a cigarette between his lips. He pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the end of the cigarette, taking in a deep inhale before exhaling the smoke out of the window. The toasty, bitter scent of tobacco entered the air of the car. It wasn’t horrible though. The scent reminded Daichi of his father.

“This area is a bit past the busy downtown district, but there are a lot of residential buildings here,” Daichi said as they passed by apartment buildings, “It's a little more rundown than downtown”

“Is there more trouble here these days?”

“I think that here and downtown have the same amount of trouble, people are just more quick to call the cops here because they think it’s a dangerous area when it’s really not so different”

“...”

“A couple years back there used to be gang trouble, but it’s died down a lot since then”

“Y’know, you’re a good man Daichi-san?”

“What?”

“Nothing, never mind”

They turned the corner then, down a more crowded street with less space between the buildings. All the shopfront windows were hidden behind metal gates, and the only people walking outside were teenagers.

Suddenly, Kuroo tensed up the passenger seat. He quickly rolled up the window and sank back low into his seat with his cigarette held tightly in between his teeth.

“Kuroo-san?”

“Would you mind pulling over somewhere? I need to put this cigarette out”

“Sure”

Daichi parked the car near the store of an older lady he knew. In a matter of seconds, Kuroo was inside the store looking for the nearest ashtray. Daichi watched him go inside, confused. Had he seen something strange on the street? Daichi hadn’t seen anything.

The owner of the store came out with a bag of dried fish, Daichi’s favorite snack. Daichi smiled and bowed his head in greeting, but her face was oddly stiff.

“Is that young man inside with you?” she said in a low voice as she put the bag in Daichi’s hand.

“Kuroo-san? Yes he is. He’s my new partner at the office”

“That man is a police officer?”

“Is there something wrong ma’am?”

“He doesn’t seem like a police officer. He looks like one of those kids I used to see running around here, always up to nothing good”

“That can’t be ma’am, Kuroo-san is from Tokyo”

“Are you calling me old? My memory is still just as good as when I was young”

“N-no ma’am, I would do no such thing”

“Just be careful Daichi, I don’t want you getting hurt”

“No need to worry about me ma’am, thank you”

Kuroo came out from the store looking much calmer than he did before, but not without glancing around the streets to his right and left. He saw the owner standing next to Daichi and bowed his head; the woman said nothing, leaving just as quickly as she had come.

“I apologize Daichi-san, I suddenly didn’t feel well”

“No need to apologize, I’m glad you’re all right now”

The two got back into the car and continued on their route.

…

Kuroo started work officially the next day. Space was cleared at the station next to Daichi’s for Kuroo to bring his things in — there wasn’t too much — and the two started on the case right away. Daichi started sifting through the reports and tip-offs that they’d gotten so far, mostly vague remarks about large groups of men gathering and causing noise late into the night. There wasn’t much that specifically described gambling, but yakuza weren’t the kind to let their games be easily found out.

“There’s not much to base an investigation on,” Kuroo said. He was standing over Daichi’s desk with a couple of papers in hand. Daichi nodded in agreement, sighing.

“But it’s strange for so many gatherings to startup out of the blue in the middle of winter,” Daichi said, “its past New Years already”

“There have been a number of yakuza gambling sites in countryside areas,” Kuroo said, “it’s strategic for them to stake out where they suspect police activity is more lax”

Daichi nodded, glancing back at the papers in front of him.

“If they really are here under that impression, they’ll regret underestimating the Miyagi police force,” Daichi said. Kuroo stared at him, impressed by his determination.

Before they could say more, Sugawara came over to them with a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

“Daichi! Kuroo-san!” She said, “Are you guys free this Saturday?”

They both nodded.

“We’re gonna have Kuroo’s welcome party then! It’ll be at the usual bar,” He said, “Right after work so no excuses for being late okay?”

“There’s no need to go to all that,” Kuroo said, “But thank you very much”

“It’ll be fun! Besides, Daichi-san needs to remember how to socialize with someone besides his mom and me,” Sugawara said. Daichi huffed.

“I socialize enough, work is my priority,” Daichi replied, “Shouldn’t that be your priority too Suga?”

Sugawara laughed, “You’re too uptight Daichi”. Then he turned and went back to his desk.

“Do you not go out often Daichi-san?” Kuroo asked.

“Not really, after work I’m usually visiting my mother or I’m home”

“Ah so am I, since I’ve come here I haven’t gone out much either”

“This Saturday will be fun then”

“I’m looking forward to it”

…

After work on Saturday, most of the officers all left the office and headed to the bar. Sugawara had gone ahead and made a reservation for a larger room in the back so everything was set up by the time they got there. Everyone was in a good mood, excited to be going out drinking again for the first time in a while. Most of the officers had already begun to get acquainted with Kuroo, who seemed like a natural at socializing.

“Kuroo-san doesn’t seem like the type of guy who would become a police officer,” Sugawara said suddenly. Daichi turned to him with one eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Why not?”

“Well, doesn’t it seem like he’d be a really good salesman or something? He used to live in Tokyo no?”

“Why, because he’s handsome?”

“Oh, so you think he’s handsome Daichi?”

“You talk too much Suga”

“Trying to change the subject huh”

“Daichi-san?”

The two of them stopped quickly when Kuroo suddenly came over to where they were sitting. Daichi smiled up at him and patted the empty seat to his left. Kuroo obliged.

“It's good to see you again Sugawara-san,” Kuroo said.

“No need to be so formal, Suga is fine,” He replied, “How have you been liking the office here in Miyagi”

“Everyone has been very kind,” Kuroo said, “Daichi-san has been especially helpful”

“The only thing he’s good at is recommending restaurants to people,” Sugawara said, “His favorite thing to do is eat”

“Suga you’re embarrassing,” Daichi said before he turned to Kuroo, “Have you had anything to drink yet?”

“The guys over there poured me some drinks but not too much yet,” Kuroo said.

“Here let me pour you some more,” Daichi said. He took the sake bottle and poured some out for him and Kuroo, then lifted up his cup towards Kuroo.

“To more good experiences in the future,” He said with a smile. Kuroo smiled too, lifting his cup up to clink it with Daichi’s.

“Daichi why didn’t you pour me one?” Sugawara huffed.

“You’ve already drunk enough, you should drink some water,” Daichi said, handing Sugawara a glass.

“Such a dad,” Sugawara said as he took a long sip from the cup. He turned away to speak to the officer to his other side, sneaking a glance at the filled cup of beer nearby.

Kuroo chuckled.

“You’re very caring aren’t you Daichi-san,” Kuroo said.

“Huh?”

“You’re always looking out for other people, making sure they’re taken care of”

“Oh, um I try my best guess”

“Ah I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I apologize”

“No no don’t apologize, I’m just not used to receiving compliments. Thank you Kuroo-san”

“Kuroo is fine”

“Ah, then Daichi is fine too”

“Do you prefer sake or beer Daichi?”

“I prefer beer, I don’t like the taste of too strong of alcohol”

“I see”

“What about you Kuroo?”

“I like sake. I like a stronger flavor”

“Do you normally drink often”

“Back in Tokyo I’d go drinking maybe once a week, but it’s been a while. What about you Daichi?”

“I haven’t gone drinking in a long time”

“I see”

“Are you having fun Kuroo?”

“I am, I like it here a lot”

“I’m glad, I was worried that we country folk would be too boring for you”

“Never. I enjoy talking to you Daichi. I’d like to get to know you better”

Daichi smiled. He wanted to turn to Sugawara and gloat that he was in fact not boring. Sugawara would still disagree nonetheless.

…

By the end of the night, Kuroo was definitely drunk. The other officers had coaxed him into more drinks and he was surprisingly easy to get tipsy. Eventually, the bar closed and the others had said their goodbyes. No one knew exactly where Kuroo lived, but Daichi offered to take care of him at his apartment since he lived alone and nearby.

After a couple of nudges, he’d gotten Kuroo onto his feet with his arm around Daichi’s shoulders. Kuroo was so tall that he leaned his head against the top of Daichi’s, mumbling something about the friendship between the sun and mood being sadly long distance. Daichi tried hard to suppress his laughter. Kuroo could be surprisingly cute, despite his usual cool and confident image.

Daichi managed to make it back to his apartment with Kuroo in tow (thank the gods his apartment was on the first floor). He laid Kuroo down on his bed and checked to make sure he was still alive. Once he was certain Kuroo was still breathing, he took off Kuroo’s jacket and hung it near the entryway before he took off Kuroo’s shoes one by one.

“The sun is already up? I thought it was nighttime still,” Kuroo mumbled with a soft giggle, staring up at the light on Daichi’s ceiling. Daichi chuckled as he switched the light off, opting to turn on the dimmer bedside lamp instead.

“That’s the light, it’s still nighttime. Are you all right?” He said, “You should drink some water”

“Mm no more to drink, I can’t drink anymore,” he said slowly, groaning as he tried to sit up.

“Don’t sit up, lie down,” Daichi said. Kuroo nodded woozily, lying his back down against the pillow. As Daichi was tucking the pillow under his head, he kept looking up at Daichi’s face.

“You have a flower stuck in your hair,” he said suddenly. His hand reached up to pull the petal from the top of Daichi’s head, “So cute. Cute cute cute”

Daichi frowned as warmth rose up in his cheeks, muttering, “I’ll go get you some water”

“You’re always so helpful. So so helpful. So cool too. Thank you Daichi,” Kuroo mumbled. He kept saying it over and over again until he was quiet.

By the time Daichi came back with a glass of water, Kuroo was already fast asleep. Daichi sighed, accepting the fact that he was sleeping on the sofa tonight. He glanced down once more at Kuroo; his typically neat hair was all mussed now, and his ears peeked out from beneath the fringe. Daichi blinked in surprise. The edges of Kuroo’s ears had a number of old piercing holes. They seemed to be all healed over now, but they were definitely there. Perhaps he had gotten them when he was still in high school.

Suddenly, the words from the old lady a couple of days before suddenly rang again in his mind. Kuroo had tensed up when they were driving near that area …

No, it couldn’t be. Kuroo had told him that he had grown up in Tokyo, and he was going to trust Kuroo.

He had to.


	2. Chapter 2

Voices from the TV and clinking plates shook Kuroo from his fitful sleep. The sounds of another person in his home were foreign to him so he felt afraid at first but, his eyes opened and he realized that he clearly wasn’t at home. The bed beneath him had soft navy blue sheets and the pillow actually had a pillowcase on it. Kuroo couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept in a bed, usually he would crash on the sofa and fall asleep to Sailor Moon reruns (yes, Sailor Moon reruns).

As he combed his fingers through his hair, he glanced over at the bedside table. There was a photo frame of Daichi smiling with a woman and a little girl. Huh, so he has a wife and kid. Kuroo let out a long sigh before heaved himself out of bed. Daichi was just pouring out the scrambled eggs onto the plate when Kurou walked in. Kurou saw the table set out and blinked in surprise.

“Ah, good morning Kuroo,” Daichi said smiling, “How are you feeling”

“I’m doing alright, have a bit of a headache,” Kuroo said as he scratched the back of his head, “I’m sorry for making you take care of me last night I shouldn’t have gotten so drunk, that was irresponsible of me”

Daichi laughed, “No need to apologize, it was your welcoming party!”

“Thank you for taking care of me then, and thank you for the food”

“Anytime, I’m glad you had fun. It was nice seeing a new side of you”

“Ah, yeah the drunk embarrassing side”

“I’m glad that you’re not so cool and confident even when you’re drunk, I might start to think you’re superhuman”

“I’m hardly cool even when I’m sober”

“You should ask the ladies at the check-in desk if they agree with that”

“Those ladies would say the same about me as they would you Daichi”

“That’s impossible”

“Ah, is it because they know you’re married?”

Daichi turned from where he was putting the dirty pan into the sink, a very confused expression on his face. Kuroo was now also confused.

“Was that not a picture of you and your family on the bedside table?” Kuroo asked.

Daichi’s face broke into laughter, chuckling away as Kuroo’s face flushed over in embarrassment. After taking a moment to calm his laughter, Daichi shook his head.

“That’s my sister and my niece, I’m not married,” Daichi explained, “They live in Kyoto so I don’t get to see them too often, that photo was taken last year at Yachi’s 3rd birthday party”

“My mistake,” Kuroo said sheepishly, and then asked, “I’m surprised you’re not married Daichi you’re very reliable”

Daichi was silent for a moment.

“I’m not interested in women,” He said.

Kuroo almost dropped the spoon that was in his hand. His eyes widened, staring at Daichi in awe. Daichi’s expression at that moment was hard to describe. It was similar to how someone might brace for impact, but he was unwavering nonetheless. He’d said what he had said, completely without a tremble in his voice; he was looking at Kuroo straight in the eyes.

“I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable,” Daichi said, breaking eye contact for the first time in a while as he looked down at the sink in front of him.

Kuroo quickly stood up from the dining table as he banged his thigh against the edge in his hurry. He shook his head aggressively, walking over to where Daichi was to put his hand on Daichi’s arm. Daichi gasped as he looked up again. Kuroo’s face was disgusted at all, but rather earnest.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable at all,” He said loudly, “Don’t apologize for something unless you really mean it. You shouldn’t be sorry for who you are”

Daichi’s eyes widened.

“If you really regret it, say sorry. But if you don’t regret it, don’t apologize,” Kuroo said with a firm nod and a grin. Daichi chuckled.

“You really are cool Kuroo,” He said. Kuroo laughed.

…

The following days were spent compiling more evidence and looking for leads. Kuroo and Daichi made calls to a few people who had originally reported seeing suspicious, gambling-like activity but they didn’t have much to say beyond groups of men often gathering late into the night after leaving the bar. Such behavior wasn’t inherently suspicious, but the spike in said behavior was definitely strange. In between working on the assignment and their typical officer duties, Kuroo would suggest that they go get a meal together to pry Daichi away from his desk. Daichi appreciated the needed break; he never remembered to rest on his own.

He appreciated that Kuroo wasn’t awkward around him.

The two were often paired for patrol duty as well. Luckily Miyagi was a relatively quiet town so there wasn’t much to see or do while on patrol besides the occasional highschooler fist fight to break up. Kuroo would tell them off and chuckle to himself at how nostalgic it felt.

During one afternoon round of patrol, the two of them got a call about a lost little boy who had turned up near the grocery store area south of downtown. The two drove over quickly to find a very cute but distressed boy, bawling his eyes out as the store owner tried to cheer him up.

“Good afternoon ma’am, is this the boy?” Daichi asked and the store owner nodded.

“He suddenly came running into my shop crying because he’d gotten separated from his older brother,” she said, “but he doesn’t have a cellphone with him, nor does he know his brother’s number”

“That’s all right we’ll take care of him until his mother calls,” Daichi said.

Kuroo had crouched down in front of the crying boy. The child glanced up; Kuroo waved at him and smiled.

“Hey there, I’m Kuroo. What’s your name?”

The boy sniffled and rubbed his arm across his nose before mumbling, “Wakatoshi”

“That’s a cool name Wakatoshi-kun!”

The boy’s tears stopped and he began to smile.

“Where was the last place you saw your brother?” Kuroo asked.

“He was at the video games store, “ the boy mumbled, “I wanted to look at the toys so I walked away, but when I turned around he was g-gone”

The boy’s eyes started to fill up with more tears but Kuroo gently hushed him. He picked up the boy into his arms with a cheer, swinging him into the air before pulling him close into his arm. Daichi watched them with a small smile on his face.

“Don’t cry Wakatoshi-kun, me and Daichi-san over there are going to get you back to your brother in no time,” Kuroo said with a big grin and a thumbs up.

The boy looked over at Daichi and timidly bowed his head. Daichi’s heart melted. Ah, how he missed Yachi right now.

“Daichi, we should get him some ice cream,” Kuroo said as he shifted Wakatoshi’s weight better onto his hip. He turned to Wakatoshi and poked the tip of his nose gently as he said, “Would you like some ice cream”

Wakatoshi enthusiastically nodded his head. The group walked back inside the store and the owner happily brought Kuroo and Wakatoshi over the freezer box to pick out any ice cream he’d like. While they were busy, Daichi called the office to see whether the dispatchers had heard anything from Wakatoshi’s brother.

“Kiyoko, Daichi here. Any news from Wakatoshi’s brother?” he said into the phone.

“Yes, I just got off the phone with him. I told him your and Kuroo-san’s location and he should be headed there now,” Kiyoko replied, “Make sure you ask Wakatoshi-kun what his brother looks like before he gets there so we know we have the right person”

“You’re right, I’ll do that. I’ll call you after he gets here,” Daichi said, then hung up the phone.

He walked over to where Wakatoshi and Kuroo were enjoying melon ice bars and smiled. Kuroo looked up and waved for him to come over with an extra bar in hand for Daichi to take.

“No thanks I’m not a big fan of sweets,” Daichi said.

“Liar I saw the box of strawberry pocky on your countertop,” Kuroo said with a frown.

Daichi laughed, “Ah you caught me. I am lactose intolerant though, so I shouldn’t be eating ice cream”

“Too bad, these bars are really tasty. Right Wakatoshi-kun?” Kuroo said, ruffling Wakatoshi’s hair. The boy nodded before he took another small bite from the bar.

Daichi crouched down to be level with the two of them and turned to Wakatoshi. He said, “Wakatoshi-kun, can I ask what your brother looks like?”

“He’s really really tall, with really really tall hair, “ Wakatoshi said as he waved his arms up in the air, “And his hair is red! Tomato red!”

“Interesting. We’ll definitely know him when we see him then,” Daichi said as he patted Wakatoshi’s head, “Thank you Wakatoshi-kun”

“Did his brother call?” Kuroo asked. Daichi nodded.

“He should be here any minu-”

Before Daichi could finish his sentence he heard warbled screams coming from outside the store. A young man with bright red hair came bursting through the store door, looking around wildly. When he saw Wakatoshi he sprinted over, bursting into tears. He smothered Wakatoshi into his arms and mumbled incoherent words into the sleeve of his brother’s jacket.

“Don’t cry Satori-nii, you’re embarrassing me,” Wakatoshi said with a huff. Kuroo and Daichi snickered quietly.

“I was so worried,” said the young man as he sniffled and wiped his eyes, “You’re not hurt are you?”

Wakatoshi shook his head, “I’m okay. The police helped me”

The young man looked away from his brother for the first time to face Daichi and Kuroo, suddenly standing straight to bow 90 degrees before them.

“Thank you for helping my little brother,” he said loudly, his head still bowed, “I apologize for troubling you”

“We didn’t do much, Wakatoshi was very brave,” Kuroo said as he crouched down to give Wakatoshi a fist bump. The boy curled his small hand into a fist and tapped it against Kuroo’s knuckles. Kuroo grinned.

“Keep an eye out for him from now on, kids can be a handful,” Daichi said and the young man nodded his head vigorously.

He turned to Wakatoshi and took his hand, saying, “Let’s head home, mom will be worried. Say bye to the officers”

Wakatoshi waved goodbye with a smile on his face; Daichi and Kuroo waved back. It was a little sad to see the kid go, but they were glad he was reunited with his big brother quickly.

“Thankfully you two were nearby,” the store owner said, “I don’t know what I would have done with that crying child”

“We were just doing our duty ma’am, we were on patrol,” Daichi said.

“I see, I think we’re going to need more of that around these parts,” she replied.

“Has there been suspicious activity going on around here ma’am?” Daichi asked.

“No, but I did hear some strange things from my husband,” she replied.

Daichi and Kuroo beckoned for her to continue.

“My husband was invited to go watch the upcoming national volleyball quarterfinals at the Mauve Bar tomorrow night downtown,” She said, her voice suddenly dropping, “He told me that the group had plans for after the viewing party as well, which is unusual. The friend had mentioned mahjong and said to keep it quiet”

Daichi and Kuroo glanced at one another and nodded. They’d finally gotten a decent lead.

…

Chief Ukai assigned that the two of them go to the Mauve Bar downtown to observe and collect data. He said that under no circumstances were they to engage any potential yakuza but to follow close by and gather as much information as possible.

The two came to the bar early to sit as far in the back as possible; the TV’s were towards the front of the store. Daichi kept his back to the TV because his face was more likely to be recognized and Kuroo was partly hidden behind the soft cloud of his cigarette smoke. They waited patiently as the bar began to fill up and for the game to start.

“What are you going to order Daichi”

“I’m not sure if it's wise to drink while we’re on the job”

“It’ll look suspicious if we’re here and not drinking”

“Is that just an excuse for you to drink Kuroo?”

“You’ve caught me red-handed officer”

“Don’t get drunk now, I won’t be able to tail them while I’m taking care of you”

“Promise you’ll order at least one drink and I promise I won’t get drunk”

“You’re a sly one”

Kuroo laughed. Daichi took the menu from Kuroo’s hands and glanced over it, opting for a glass of red wine. Kuroo ordered a bourbon on the rocks; the waitress bowed her head before leaving to place their orders.

“You never struck me as a red wine kind of person Daichi, I thought you’d like harder liquors”

“Didn’t I tell you before that I don’t like the taste of strong alcohol?”

“You did? When?”

“At your welcoming party. Ah, you must have been too drunk to remember”

“Probably, that wasn’t one of my best moments”

“Certainly,” Daichi replied, snorting.

Before Kuroo could respond with anything smart, a stream of noisy men came into the bar. They all sat down at the tables in front of the TVs, arguing over which team had a better chance at advancing to the semifinals. Daichi glanced up at Kuroo and Kuroo nodded his head. This was the group. Kuroo couldn’t tell from just looking who might be yakuza, they all seemed like townspeople around the same age, around middle-aged and slightly older.

The men began drinking right away, showing no signs of stopping. As more rounds of beer were brought the men grew rowdier, particularly as the game got more intense. Daichi and Kuroo strained their ears to catch any bit of their conversation but their talk was mostly of the game going on. What seemed like hours passed as Kuroo and Daichi chatted softly and sipped their drinks.

“Should we go over there and join them?” Kuroo said with a mischievous glint in his eye, “We’re getting nothing from just sitting here”

“Chief said no engaging,” Daichi said.

“Maybe Sugawara was right, you really are boring Daichi,” Kuroo said as he pouted.

Daichi rolled his eyes, “ The game is almost over and things will pick up soon”

Just as Daichi finished his sentence, the tables in the front broke out into loud roars. The TV played a recap of the game-finishing spike from the middle blocker, a very unexpected move, and half of the men were clearly enthusiastic about the results. Daichi and Kuroo instantly tensed up in anticipation.

Suddenly, one of the younger-looking men stood up and called for everyone to get their things together. The men gathered began enthusiastically standing from their seats, grabbing jackets and hats from their chairs as they jostled outside together. After waiting a few moments, Daichi nodded to Kuroo and they followed suit.

“Don’t get too close,” Daichi mumbled, the bar door jingling shut behind them, “But we can’t lose them either”

“They’re making so much racket that it’d be impossible to lose them,” Kuroo replied.

They followed the group down past the main street, where there were fewer streetlights than the busy downtown area. They stayed about fifteen feet behind them, shuffling their feet to keep from making too much noise.

“Do you have any idea where they might be heading?” Kuroo asked.

Daichi shook his head, “Around here there aren’t very many stores that could work as a front for mahjong gambling, it's mostly residential areas”

“What’s past the houses? Closer to the base of the hill?” Kuroo asked.

“A couple of warehouses, they used to be part of a strawberry processing plant but the company had pulled out of Miyagi years ago”

“Did anyone recently start leasing those warehouses?”

“Not that I’m aware of, but they are fairly large and hardly any townspeople ever come near there”

“You don’t thin-”

“You don’t suppo-”

“Those warehouses could be where the gambling is going on?”

Daichi and Kuroo stopped in their tracks and looked at one another, eyes gleaming with excitement. They were one step closer to the truth now.

“We should follow them and see if we can find out more,” Kuroo said.

“Don’t get too close, we can’t engage directly with them or we’ll blow our cover before we can launch a complete investigation,” Daichi said.

“I know I know,” Kuroo said.

By now the number of houses they were passing by had begun to diminish. They were practically at the edge of town now, where the large hill to the north was looming over against the backdrop of the night. Between the edge of town and the warehouses was a small number of trees, sparse but tall and present. Miyagi was typically a quiet town, but the silence was heavy here. The only break in the quiet was the occasional rowdy yell from the group of men they were tailing.

“It’s more open here, we'll be easier to spot. We should change course and go around the edge of where the warehouses are. We’ll circle around where there are more trees and try to see as much as we can,” Daichi said. Kuroo nodded, letting him take the lead.

They made a left turn, following the edge of the trees to circle around towards the warehouses. The soft breeze made enough sound in the leaves above to cover their footsteps. Though the sounds of the men were growing farther away, Kuroo could see the tops of the warehouses in the distance. They must be going to the warehouse farthest from town then. Once the warehouses were closer in view, their steps slowed. The warehouse nearest to them was dark, so Daichi motioned forward for them to proceed with caution.

They walked up to the side of the warehouse and pressed close to the wall noiselessly. Daichi took a quick glance around the corner before giving the all-clear for them to go. Along this side of the warehouse were a number of doors; some were closed while others were opened. The inside of the warehouse was dark and silent. The voices were still a ways ahead, so the two walked slowly towards their sound.

Now the voices were incredibly close, and Daichi could see low, dim lights ahead. Now there seemed to be more voices than before, many many more voices. The voices sounded like they were just around the corner, a mere ten or so feet away. Daichi could also hear loud clinking sounds; were those the sounds of drinking glasses or mahjong tiles?

Suddenly, Kuroo grabbed Daichi by the shoulders and pulled him back into the warehouse they were leaning against. Daichi’s vision went dark as he stood a mere few inches from Kuroo’s chest as his back was pressed up against the wall. Before he could let out an accidental gasp, Kuroo pressed a hand to his mouth. The soft sound of footsteps echoed from just on the other side of the wall, accompanied by loud voices talking earnestly about the semi-finals round that would be airing the next week. Daichi could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Kuroo was standing tall above him, pressed close and away from the light of the moon that came flooding into the entrance they’d just passed through. The two of them were hidden by the shadows of the large warehouse door, safe from view.

Once the voices were far away, Kuroo stepped back and released Daichi.

“Sorry for the sudden grab, I didn’t want us to be seen,” Kuroo said, “Are you alright?”

Daichi nodded, thankful that it was dark; he could feel the heat rising to his face at an alarmingly fast rate. Had he really had that much wine at the bar?

“Don’t worry about it, thank you,” He said before turning away, “Are there any windows we can see out of from here?”

“Over there,” Kuroo said, pointing to the tall window a short distance away from where they were standing, “We’ll need to climb those boxes though so be careful. Let me go first”

Kuroo hopped up onto the wooden boxes first before reaching his hand out for Daichi to take. Once they were at the top, they peeked over the edge of the window just barely. In the distance, they could see the largest of the warehouse buildings, well lit and flooding with people. Men were streaming in and out of the warehouse, talking loudly and filling the air with the smoke from their cigarettes. Through the opening in the door, Daichi could clearly see tables filled with mahjong tiles, as well as stacks of cash in front of the players. Some of the men were from the bar from which he and Kuroo had come from, but many were not.

From a cursory glance, Daichi could not tell which of the men might be yakuza. Almost all the men were playing while some watched from the sides, but even those who were watching were tipsy and enjoying themselves. He hardly saw anyone who seemed like the overseer of the place.

Until suddenly, a huge figure cut across his view of the door.

The man was well over six feet tall and had a striking look to him. His silver hair and green eyes glinted under the waxy yellow light of the warehouse, and he carried himself with a very different aura than the mahjong players. In his hands were papers with what seemed like records.

Daichi tugged on Kuroo’s sleeve then, saying, “Kuroo, do you think he’s yakuza? We should take photos while we can to bring them back to the chief”

Kuroo said nothing.

Daichi looked up and flinched at the expression on Kuroo’s face. His eyebrows were contorted in a horrible way and his mouth was tight with a grimace. His eyes were scared.

“Kuroo? What’s wrong?” Daichi said.

Kuroo turned to him suddenly, shaken from his freeze, and grabbed Daichi’s shoulders tightly. His facial expression was wildly afraid.

“We need to get out here. Now,” He said in a deathly low tone.

“What? Why Kuroo what’s wr-”

“Please Daichi you have to trust me. We need to go”

Before Daichi could say another word, Kuroo took Daichi’s hand and tugged hard. They flew down from the wooden boxes and were out the door of the warehouse in a matter of seconds, sprinting full force. Daichi was bewildered, to say the least; he’d never seen Kuroo act like this.

They ran until they made it back to where Daichi had parked the police car a couple of blocks away from the Mauve bar. Daichi was out of breath, leaning heavily against the side of the car as he gasped. Kuroo was sitting on the cement of the sidewalk with his head bowed.

Daichi wordlessly unlocked the car, taking his place in the driver’s seat. After a few moments, Kuroo got up and got into the passenger seat. He locked the door. Daichi said nothing.

Kuroo’s voice suddenly burst through the silence in the car. “Daichi, I’m sorry I panicked back there I don’t know what came over me,” He sputtered, “I just felt like we were in danger so I ran and I jus-”

Daichi faced towards Kuroo and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. He looked at Kuroo’s anxious face and tried to reassure him with a small smile.

“I trust your judgment Kuroo,” He said, “Thank you for acting. No need to apologize, we’re safe here aren’t we?”

Kuroo’s mouth hung open for a moment before he closed it again and looked down at his trembling hands. “Thank you Daichi,” He mumbled.

“I’ll take you home and report to Chief Ukai, you should get some rest,” Daichi said as he started the engine. Kuroo nodded.

Daichi dropped Kuroo off at his apartment with a reminder to drink some water and get some sleep. Kuroo nodded and thanked him before walking off with a dip in his shoulders that Daichi had never seen before.

He tried to fight off the hundreds of questions in his mind as he dialed for Chief Ukai.

…

The team spent the following days planning their next move. Even with the information that Daichi and Kuroo gathered, Chief Ukai decided that it wouldn’t be wise to do a sweep of the warehouses until they had more clear evidence. He decided to split the team into two; Sugawara and Kiyoko, who worked mostly on the data processing end of things, would handle speaking with the warehouse owner to see if he would release any information about his clients to them. Since Daichi and Kuroo had already been to the warehouse in person, Chief Ukai assigned them to stake out the warehouse for 24 hours from a safe distance to see if there were any yakuza movements going on during the daytime.

The plan was for Daichi and Kuroo to head up to the top of the hill behind the warehouses and camp out and survey the warehouses for a day. The top of the hill was a roped off area that prohibited citizens to enter, so the police had a small headquarters built up there for special situations. The date for the scouting operation was set for the first semifinals game, a week after the event at the Mauve Bar.

During the days in between, Daichi and Kuroo were so busy that there wasn’t much time to spend one on one. Daichi was worried at first. Who wouldn’t be? He’d never seen Kuroo act in such a way, and he couldn’t help but wonder why. Was it because of that man that he’d seen, with the silver hair and green eyes? Daichi hadn’t thought that he looked particularly dangerous, but perhaps Kuroo’s experience investigating yakuza in the past had put him on edge. Plus, Kuroo had never been involved with the ground investigations when he was stationed in Tokyo. Perhaps he was just not used to being so close to the action and had acted on a whim. That was definitely likely. He couldn’t have recognized that man. Maybe that man was involved with the Tokyo yakuza case that Kuroo had dealt with in the past.

Daichi let out a long say, planting his head down onto his desk. He hated these swirling thoughts. What good would he be to the assignment if he couldn’t even trust his partner? But, the image of Kuroo holding Wakatoshi close in his arms flashed through his mind. Kuroo’s expression then had been sincere. And his face was sincere when he told him that he didn’t care that he wasn’t straight. Right?

Right.

Daichi resolved then that he wouldn’t ask Kuroo any questions; he was going to trust him. If Kuroo had something that he wanted to say, he would tell Daichi himself.

…

“I’m glad the weather is so nice,” Kuroo said. He looked out at the view of Miyagi from the hilltop and smiled. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, there were a few sparse clouds in the sky, and a cool breeze was blowing through.

“Help me unload the car before you get too lost in the view,” Daichi said.

There wasn’t much to unload; besides the surveillance gear that they’d brought with them, there were a few supplies for making a haphazard dinner and for sleeping. Kuroo lifted the boxes of telescopes and cameras from the trunk of the car and carried them inside the small building perched atop the hillside. It was a one-room setup, hardly a headquarters. At least there was a power box and a transmitter to connect their devices to. Beyond that, the room was empty. As Kuroo turned back to get the rest, he watched Daichi looking out at the city below.

He was glad that Daichi wasn’t acting awkwardly around him. For the past week, Kuroo had been trying his hardest to act normal, but he was sure that Daichi had noticed his poor performance. But, he didn’t mention anything of it; he was the same old Daichi.

“Where should I set up this gear?” Kuroo asked. Daichi came over from where he was standing to take a look inside of the box, sifting with his hands through the slew of tech.

“I think there’s a ladder to the top of the base, we can set them up there to get a better view of the warehouses below,” Daichi said.

There was indeed a ladder up to the roof at the back of the base. Kuroo stared quizzically at the old wood of the ladder but, before he could say a word of warning, Daichi was already halfway up to the top. When his head was peaking out of the opening at the top, he looked down and beckoned for Kuroo to hand him the box. Despite the weight of the box, Daichi was able to lift it up with relative ease. While he pulled the lenses out one by one he dropped the cords down for Kuroo to connect and assemble below. Kuroo came up onto the roof once everything was set up below and gasped.

The view from the roof was even better than below. He could see both sides of the hillside now and even farther outside of Miyagi. Daichi chuckled at the big-eyed look on his face.

“I think we can see Tokyo from here,” He joked. Kuroo snorted.

“Let’s see if we can catch these bad guys before we can try and look for Tokyo,” He replied.

The lenses they’d brought with them made spying on the warehouses below. All the cameras connected back to a larger monitor that they’d brought with them, which displayed the image large and clear enough for them to see even minute details. They couldn’t get any audio but pictures gave plenty of good information. At the moment, the warehouses seemed silent and empty. The sun was just barely beginning to set so if any events were occurring that night, they should be there at any minute to start setting up.

Hours passed by as the two sat in front of the monitor, watching the silent warehouses and talking. Kuroo had brought a deck of cards along as well, knowing full well how boring their operation would quickly get, and Daichi eventually came around to playing a few games of speed. Surprisingly, Daichi was a sore loser who wouldn’t let the games stop until he had matched Kuroo for his number of wins. Kuroo couldn’t help but think to himself that Daichi was strangely cute.

The sky began to darken with purple tinges at the edge of the orange sunset before anyone at the warehouses began to move, but when they did they came in groups. All the men were dressed in all black with red triangles sewn onto their breast pocket, dark hats pulled down tightly onto their heads. There were around ten to fifteen men dressed the same and they moved in and out of the building with boxes, tables, chairs, and silver cases designed for transporting money. Daichi and Kuroo watched intently.

The last wave of moving involved four men at once lifting boxes designed for transporting arms. Daichi shivered; there was much more going on here than just illegal gambling.

“The gambling must be a cover for arms dealing,” Kuroo said, “In case they get caught illegal gambling has a much lighter sentence, but the dealings happen over mahjong games. Those boxes are just samples for customers to look at”

Daichi nodded and sighed, “Even a small town like Miyagi isn’t safe from these kinds of things”

Kuroo glanced over and saw the pained look on Daichi’s face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Daichi shook his head, saying, “I was just thinking about a couple years ago when something similar happened here with some yakuza. I couldn’t do much at the time, so I had hoped that in the future I’d be more capable”

Kuroo tensed up, but Daichi wasn’t looking his way.

“What happened back then?” Kuroo asked.

“Ah, a couple of yakuza had tried to set up an illegal arms deal here in Miyagi,” Daichi said, “I was part of the investigative team then, but in the middle of the assignment I got involved in an armed robbery situation where I ended up getting injured and had to take a break from the force while I recovered”

Daichi’s brows scrunched into a frown as he continued, “The investigation was hard because we couldn’t find any clues for a while, but we ended up getting a lucky break on a tip off about the location of where the dealings would take place and managed to stop the trade. I was frustrated for a long time that I couldn’t do anything but sit in the hospital and wait while everyone else covered for me”

“You’re not the kind to rely on others easily huh,” Kuroo said.

“Uh-huh, I’m the big brother type,” Daichi said, “I’ve always been taking care of the people around me so I have a hard time being taken care of, it feels like I’m weak”

“But isn’t relying on others a strength?”

Daichi looked at Kuroo in surprise.

Kuroo continued, “ When you can rely on someone else, it means that you trust them no? So I think that when you can rely on someone else it shows you’re not alone. People are stronger together way more than they could ever be alone”

Daichi was silent for a moment, before he suddenly began to laugh. Kuroo’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“W-What, did I say something weird,” He sputtered.

“No no, I’m not laughing at you,” Daichi said with a grin, “I’m laughing at myself”

Kuroo was confused.

“You know, you really are cool Kuroo,” Daichi said.

“What are you saying all of a sudden,” He mumbled, scratching at the back of his neck as the flush in his cheeks deepened.

“You always know the right thing to say,” Daichi said, “I admire that about you”

Daichi finally looked over to Kuroo. When he saw the blush on Kuroo’s cheeks his heart skipped a beat. He laughed, suddenly feeling shy.

“What are you getting embarrassed for, you’ve complimented me in the past no prob-”

Daichi suddenly felt Kuroo’s hand on his right cheek. He gasped as his vision was filled with Kuroo’s face drawing in closer and closer. And then, Kuroo pressed his lips to Daichi’s, gently and quicker than Daichi could say another word.

Kuroo pulled away slowly as his eyes stared at Daichi’s expression then. Daichi’s eyes were wide open and he was frozen in place. The last bits of orange from the setting sun splashed onto his cheek and glinted his eyes. For a moment, Kuroo wished time would stop.

“I’ve admired you for a much longer time Daichi,” He mumbled.

Tomatoes would be jealous of how red Daichi’s face turned then. The sudden rush of color to Daichi’s face jolted Kuroo to the reality of what he just did and he slapped a hand over his mouth. Did I really just kiss Daichi?

“I-I’m sorry Daichi I acted without thinking I shouldn’t have just kissed you out of the blue what was I thinking I’m the worst pleasedon’ttakemeoffthisassignmentIwanttobeofhelptoyo-”

Daichi suddenly reached forward to clap Kuroo’s face between his palms.

“Kuroo stop for a second,” he said. He tried to speak clearly despite his heartbeat ringing loudly in his ears, continuing, “Look at me”

Kuroo snapped out of his mini-mental breakdown, looking up in shock.

“Weren’t you the one who told me not to apologize unless I really regretted it?” Daichi said, “If you don’t regret it don’t apologize”

He had a small smile on his face and Kuroo’s heart tightened. He shook his head violently, saying loudly, “I don’t regret it at all”

Daichi moved his hands away from Kuroo’s face and averted his eyes as the feeling of shyness crept back up into his cheeks. Kuroo had to fight the urge to kiss him again; if he did, things might get out of hand fast. 

  
“I’ll t-take first watch, you should get some sleep,” Daichi suddenly piped up, “We’ll talk later, when we’re not working”

Kuroo nodded, but nervousness suddenly began to pile in the bottom of his stomach. He didn’t want Daichi to misunderstand that he wasn’t serious. He reached out his hand and squeezed Daichi’s tight.

“I meant it when I said that I’ve admired you for a long time,” Kuroo said, “There’s something I need to tell you after this assignment is over”

And then he was down the ladder and gone from sight. Daichi dropped his head into his hands and suppressed the urge to scream. His heart was beating so fast in his chest, too fast for any reasonable adult. He was a man for crying out loud, how could he let just a kiss unsettle him this way?

All he could think about was the warmth of Kuroo’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot going on in this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it! It's been a long time since I last wrote fanfiction so I'm slowly remembering how to write romance LMAO I apologize for the awkwardness between Kuroo and Daichi I'll try to do a better job, I appreciate all the comments, kudos, and bookmarks! Feedback on my work is always greatly appreciated hehe, please look forward to the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Kuroo didn’t know what to do the next day at work. Technically it was the day after next; when they wrapped up the stakeout on the hill Chief had told them to take the day off and catch up on some rest. The ride home together was definitely one of the most nerve-wracking moments of Kuroo’s life as he struggled to keep his calm and not force Daichi to pull the car to the curbside so they could make out for fifteen minutes straight. He wanted to respect Daichi’s request to wait until after the current assignment was done but it was really fucking difficult with Daichi’s face being obviously as nervous as Kuroo was feeling on the inside.

When Daichi dropped Kuroo off at his apartment, Kuroo wasn’t sure what to say. Their small talk in the car wasn’t much to continue and he felt like he had to at least address the elephant in the room. The two of them made eye contact for a moment and the flush crept up in Kuro0’s cheeks faster than he could regain his composure.

Daichi let out a laugh as he tried to cover up his own blush as well, and Kuroo felt a little relieved that he wasn’t the only one feeling unsure.

“Good work today,” Daichi said and Kuroo nodded.

“You too Daichi,” he replied, “Go home and get some rest. We’ll start planning for our next move once we get back to the office”

Daichi saw a chance to tease Kuroo and pounced.

“Already making moves on me huh? That kiss wasn’t enough?” Daichi said with a smirk.

“You’re the worst Daichi,” Kuroo groaned. Daichi laughed.

“But, you’re not wrong either,” Kuroo added. “Are you free this Saturday?”

Daichi’s heart skipped a beat. Kuroo’s face was a simultaneous mixture of hesitation and determination, and his eyes were looking at Daichi with the utmost seriousness. He really was cool.

“I am,” He replied, “Why do you ask?”

“Please let me take you on a date,” Kuroo said. Daichi grinned at the sudden display of boldness.

“Sounds like a plan,” Daichi said, “I’ll be in your care then”

Kuroo smiled.

…

“Our next step should be direct intervention,” Chief Ukai said to those gathered for the meeting.

This was the first time that all the team members on the yakuza case were gathered since the beginning of the assignment; Daichi and Kuroo were present, along with Sugawara, Kiyoko, and a number of other members that Kuroo had briefly gotten to know. The air in the room was grave after Daichi and Kuroo had reported that the illegal gambling was a cover for illegal arms dealing. The situation was now far more serious than anyone had originally anticipated.

“As Daichi previously mentioned, the trend so far has been that the gambling nights occur whenever a new game for the national volleyball tournament is being aired. A number of bars in town will host watching parties and one or two yakuza members blend in with the crowd to encourage them to go back to the warehouses to gamble after they’d drunk a decent amount and got riled up,” Chief Ukai explained, “The next and final game is going to be tomorrow, Friday night, for the championship title, so this is our only shot at busting their operation and arresting as many of them as we can”

“What’s the plan for attack?” Ennoshita said; he was a well-trained member of the strike squad.

“Don’t say attack like it's going to be violent,” Sugawara protested.

“No he’s not wrong,” Chief said, “Things might get out of hand depending on how different yakuza are gonna be involved in this arms deal so we need to be as cautious as possible”

Sugawara sighed; he didn’t like high-intensity operations like these, even when he wasn’t ever going to be on the ground.

“Our primary objectives are one, making sure that any citizens at the venue are safe and aren’t taken hostage,” Chief Ukai said, “and two, arresting the yakuza involved as quickly and safely as possible”

He stepped back from the center of the room and said, “Now I’d like to open the floor to everyone. What do you guys think is the best plan?”

Everyone was silent for a moment. Asahi was the first to speak up from where he stood towards the back of the circle, “Since there has only been a handful of yakuza present at each gambling night, we should have enough officers on the ground who can outnumber them and keep the situation controlled. If there’s too few of us then they might try to take advantage of the situation and make a break for it”

Daichi nodded before he spoke up as well, “I agree with Asahi. I also think that we should have a backup team on close standby to move citizens out of the warehouses so the ground team can focus on arresting the criminals”

Chief Ukai was typing away as the team members spoke as he nodded his head in approval.

Kuroo spoke up after Daichi was finished, “I think that it’d be best for me and Daichi to lead the ground team since we’ve both been to the site. Sugawara and Asahi would make good leaders for backup and radio communications”

“We’ll have Ennoshita and a couple others on the ground team with you and Daichi as well,” Chief Ukai responded, “I think Iwaizumi, Matsukawa, and Terushima will be good”

The three of them nodded.

“The teams will be set up near the warehouse at 7:00 sharp for when the game starts so that everyone will be ready when the yakuza get there,” Chief Ukai said, “I’ll call for another meeting after I look through a few more of the details. Dismissed”

As everyone shuffled out of the room, Chief Ukai called for Kuroo to stay back. The heavy weight in his stomach dropped; he had a feeling about what this was about.

Chief Ukai looked him dead in the eyes and gripped his shoulder, hard. “Are you sure you want to be on the ground team,” He said firmly.

Kuroo gulped before he nodded. Chief Ukai’s eyes reflected doubtfulness.

“Please trust me Chief, I need to do this,” He said. Chief Ukai sighed.

“Understood,” He said, “Head on over to the warehouse owner’s place this afternoon. I got you the warrant now, you can ask him about his clients. He might be able to tell us some more about who exactly we’re dealing with”

Kuroo nodded.

…

Daichi was at his desk, looking pointedly at the plan for tomorrow night’s strike. He couldn’t decide whether his mind was more occupied about tomorrow’s operation or about his plans for the day after that. He sighed; he was trying desperately to stay focused but he couldn’t help but feel excitement and anticipation. God, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone on a date, which was rather embarrassing to think about.

The ring of his cellphone shook him from his thoughts. Daichi glanced over and saw Kuroo’s name flashing across the screen; Kuroo was supposed to be out talking to the warehouse owner that afternoon.

“Hello? Kuroo?” Daichi said into the phone.

“Daichi! Sorry to bother you,” Kuroo replied at the other end of the line, “Are you busy right now”

Busy thinking about you, idiot. “No not at all, what’s the matter?” he asked.

“I’m at the warehouse owner’s home right now but I completely forgot to grab the warrant from my desk, do you think you could bring it for me? I’m sorry,” He said.

“No worries give me a second,” Daichi said as he got up and went over to Kuroo’s desk, “Where did you say you left it?”

“I think it should be in my top drawer somewhere underneath all that mess,” Kuroo said with a soft chuckle.

Daichi rummaged around the stacks of papers and other random knick-knacks as he eyed the things that came to the surface of the drawer. As he sifted through, his hand brushed something that felt different than the other pieces of paper. It felt like photo paper. He poked around out of curiosity until he found a small photograph flipped on its back near the bottom and the corner of the desk, and then he turned it face up.

His blood went cold.

In the photograph was Kuroo, smiling with his arm around that silver-haired, green-eyed man whom he’d seen at the warehouse that night.

Daichi’s heartbeat was pounding in his ears. He didn’t know what to think at first. The photo didn’t seem right. How could they know each other? Was he mistaking that man for the man from the warehouse? But then Kuroo’s reaction that night suddenly came into his mind. The fear in Kuroo’s eyes, the rushed way he dragged them away. Suddenly all the dots were starting to connect; what the old lady had said about Kuroo before, what had happened the night they went to the warehouses, Kuroo’s nervousness around certain parts of town.

“Daichi? Are you there?”

He jolted at the sudden voice from the phone. Kuroo’s voice.

“I-I’m sorry, yes I have it right here,” Daichi said as he took the warrant into his hand.

He had to go drop the warrant off for Kuroo. What would he say to him? What face should he put on? What should he do? Daichi’s head was swimming with questions and he felt powerless to answer any of them with any confidence.

Daichi did know that right now, he couldn’t face Kuroo.

“Actually, I have something I need to do right now,” Daichi said hurriedly, “I’ll ask Sugawara to bring it to you”

“Daichi is everything okay? You sound off,” Kuroo said. Daichi flinched and cursed his inability to lie.

“Don’t worry about it, Sugawara will be there soon,” Daichi said, “I’ll talk to you later”

He hung up the phone before Kuroo could reply and practically ran to give Sugawara the warrant, who took it without much question beyond the look he had in his eyes. Once that was settled, Daichi headed straight for Chief Ukai’s office.

With only a knock for a warning, he came into the smoke-filled room with a thousand questions ready to be fired off and a photograph in his hand. Chief Ukai looked up from his desk with surprise.

“Daichi? Is something wrong?” He asked.

He said nothing, putting the photograph in his hand down for Chief Ukai to see.

“That other man in the photo, I saw him at the warehouse the night that me and Kuroo went to the Mauve Bar,” Daichi said through gritted teeth.

Chief Ukai’s face lost its look of surprise as he sighed deeply.

“You weren’t supposed to find out,” He said.

“Don’t tell me, I want to hear it from him,” Daichi said, “But take him off the ground team”

Chief Ukai’s mouth opened to protest but Daichi’s facial expression made him stop. Daichi’s face war hard as stone, unwilling to budge in its resolve.

“I understand, I’ll tell him tomorrow,” Chief Ukai said quietly. Daichi left the office without another word.

…

It was odd for Daichi to leave work early. By the time Kuroo had gotten back from speaking with the warehouse owner, Daichi had already left. Kuroo had tried giving him a call to see if he was okay, but Daichi hadn’t picked up the phone. Kuroo went home from work that day feeling strangely anxious for the next day’s operation. Despite the thorough planning that the team had gone through, he couldn’t help but feel like something might go wrong. He could hardly sleep at all that night with all that was weighing on his mind.

He came into work the next day feeling a little under the weather, but what was more jarring was that Daichi wasn’t there; neither were the other members of the ground team. Before he could ask around about where they were, Chief Ukai called him into his office.

“What’s up Chief?” He asked.

“He knows”

Kuroo froze.

“Who knows”

“Daichi”

It felt like someone had chucked a rock right at Kuroo’s gut. He choked on the saliva in his mouth and coughed, growing sicker to the stomach by the second.

“H-How”

“He found the photo in your desk”

Kuroo was furious with himself, wanting to kick himself in the shin; he’d completely fucking forgotten that he kept that photo in the top drawer.

“What did he say”

“He asked that you be removed from the ground team and switched with Asahi. You’re on backup and radio duty now with Sugawara”

Kuroo couldn't say a thing. Cold numbness was seeping everywhere on his skin and he wanted to crawl away and scratch at it until he could scratch no more. He was absolutely disgusted with himself. Oh, what a fool he had been, to think that he’d be allowed to get away so easily.

Chief Ukai’s hand on his shoulder shook him from his thoughts.

“Don’t doubt Daichi,” he said, “Finish the assignment and talk to him. He’s a better man than you think”

Kuroo let out a sarcastic chuckle; he knew best of all how good a man Daichi was. It was himself whom he doubted.

…

Daichi, Ennoshita, and the rest of the ground team were all stationed around nearby the warehouses ready to go. Their handguns were ready for quick access at their hip, their eyes trained on the buildings a mere fifteen feet away. Night had long fallen and the moon was overhead, bright and full as if to put a spotlight on the scene.

“Daichi here. Everyone’s in position, backup check-in please, over,” he said into the wire attached to his ear.

“Kuroo here. Backup is in position, HQ check-in please, over,” said a monotone voice over the radio.

Daichi flinched at the sound of Kuroo’s voice. He hadn’t seen Kuroo since the first operation planning meeting, and he’d intentionally avoided him. If he were to see Kuroo now, he wouldn’t be able to focus on the mission (not like he was focusing very well anyways). He tried to keep the many questions at bay, but his mind couldn’t help but wander.

“Daichi-san? The event seems to be dying down, we should get ready to move in,” Ennoshita said. Daichi nodded, then signaled for the others to start moving in closer as well. The rowdy sounds of gambling and drinking had begun to die down and some people were leaving. The less regular citizens there the better, but they couldn’t afford to wait until everyone had gone and the arms deal was over.

“Let’s start moving in so we can get a better visual,” Matsukawa said over the radio.

“You guys take the east and south end of the buildings, I’ll start moving around to the northside,” Iwaizumi responded.

“Got it, be careful,” Daichi said, “Can you say anything from overhead Kiyoko?”

Kiyoko, who was stationed on the hill with lenses to watch the scene from above and report in, said, “Nothing out of the ordinary, some people are leaving but there are still lights on in the warehouse and people moving around”

“Can we get an estimate on the number inside?” Ennoshita asked.

“I’d say around 25 or so,” She replied, “I think that they’re mostly regular citizens”

“Okay, let's move in close enough to see inside,” Daichi said.

Everyone hurried in towards the empty warehouses around the periphery of the occupied ones and snuck quietly inside, hurrying towards the windows to get a better look at what they were dealing with. From what Daichi could see through the open doorways, those still at the tables were the real deal. They were talking in hushed tones with serious expressions on their faces with others standing around with tense lines in their backs. Daichi wasn’t sure if he’d seen any of them before, but this was still a nerve-wracking situation nonetheless.

“Should we move in now?” Ennoshita mumbled.

“Ground team requesting permission to move in from headquarters,” Daichi said into the radio.

“Permission granted,” Chief Ukai said.

The ground team quickly stormed into the warehouse building, and everything after that became a blur. The yakuza reacted quickly with retaliation, fast with their counterattack as they scrambled to protect the money and weapons. The citizens were quickly taken out of the situation while the other ground team members fought with the yakuza. Gunshots rang out in the air but Daichi couldn’t see too well outside of what was in front of him. Two yakuza had lunged at him at once but he dodged their fists quickly, ducking below the first before blocking the second. As the first yakuza’s leg flew forward to try for a kick, Daichi kicked his leg straight up and caught the man’s jaw, sending him backwards and into the other yakuza. Daichi ran over and quickly tasered the men to keep them still as he pulled out his handcuffs. The sound of yelling suddenly shook him from where he was tying the two men up; he instantly looked up at the smell of something burning.

The yakuza had set fire to the building to destroy the evidence and the situation had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Daichi cursed under his breath as he dragged the two unconscious men outside, looking around wildly to see where his teammates were.

“Ennoshita! Iwaizumi! Give me an update where are you guys!”

“I’m at the warehouse behind yours, I’ve got a couple guys here under control for some are still trying to get away and we need to chase them!” Matsukawa said over the radio, “I don’t know where the rest are”

“Daichi!” Ennoshita’s voice, his real voice, suddenly rang out.

Daichi looked up and saw Ennoshita running towards him, but he was looking behind Daichi. Just as he was turning around to look, a metal pipe came down onto his head with a hard thwack.

Everything went dark in a matter of seconds

…

Kuroo and Sugawara were sitting in the police car near the edge of town where the warehouses were, monitoring the situation through the radio and from the shared feed that Kiyoko had sent them from the hilltop. The ground team had just broken into the warehouse and Kuroo was gnawing on the unlit cigarette in his mouth anxiously. He hated not being there on the scene.

“Relax Kuroo, you’re making me nervous,” Sugawara said jokingly.

“Sorry, I’m just worried,” Kuroo said.

“Don’t worry, he knows what he’s doing when it comes to the field,” Sugawara said.

“Yeah I know, I just hate sitting here not helping,” Kuroo sighed.

“You were worried about Daichi, I knew it,” Sugawara said with a cheeky grin. Kuroo realized his slip up and groaned while Sugawara chuckled.

Of course he was worried. What was Daichi thinking right now? Was he nervous? Was he thinking about Kuroo nearly as much as Kuroo was thinking about him? Unlikely. If he was, it was most likely bad things. Kuroo let out a long sigh as he reached for the lighter in his pocket, but he stopped when the radio suddenly turned on.

“Ennoshita! Iwaizumi! Give me an update where are you guys!”

Daichi’s voice suddenly cut through the silence in the patrol car. Kuroo shivered at the urgency in his voice; something was wrong.

“I’m at the warehouse behind yours, I’ve got a couple guys here under control for some are still trying to get away and we need to chase them!” Matsukawa said over the radio, “I don’t know where the rest are”

Ennoshita was suddenly yelling Daichi’s name, and then a loud thud rang out.

Sugawara was yelling at Kuroo to come back to the patrol car but he had already bolted towards the scene.  
Kuroo couldn’t remember the last time he’d run this fast or this desperately. Maybe when he was a kid, but back then he was running away. Now, he was running forward, yet he felt much more terrified. As he ran through the trees and towards Daichi, he prayed silently for him to be okay.

When he got there everything was in chaos. Buildings were on fire, some citizens were standing drunkenly outside and pointing in disbelief, numbers of yakuza were handcuffed and sitting in the patrol cars. He couldn’t see Daichi anywhere.

Ennoshita came out of the burning building with Daichi passed out over his shoulder, bleeding from the head and looking paler than ever. Kuroo’s stomach lurched as he rushed forward to take Daichi from Ennoshita, scrambling to find a cloth to stop the bleeding.

“Ambulance ambulance we need to get an ambulance,” Kuroo yelled, “Someone call the rest of backup we need to get Daichi to the hospital hurry please please”

“Backups on the way,” Ennoshita said as he gasped for air, “Stay with Daichi while I round up the criminals”

Kuroo nodded his head as he gently laid Daichi down on the ground, resting his head onto his thigh as he gingerly pressed the sleeve of his jacket against the open wound. Luckily Daichi was breathing fine, but his face was scrunched in pain. Kuroo should have been here, if he was he could have done something, he could have prevented this. He hated the feeling of guilt welling up inside of him, he hated the weaknesses he had inside. Gently, he brushed his hand against Daichi’s cheek.

“The ambulance and fire department are here, let’s get Daichi going,” Ennoshita said as he put a hand on Kuroo’s shoulder.

Kuroo lifted Daichi up as gently as he could and carried him over to where a stretcher and medical personnel were waiting. They quickly began to move into the ambulance and Kuroo followed despite some initial protests from the medics, but Kuroo’s expression quickly silenced them. As he stepped into the back of the ambulance, he looked back at the crime scene.

Lev was looking right at him. Kuroo jolted. Lev’s eyes were angry, and most of all they were hurt. He was being led into a patrol car, handcuffed and restrained. Kuroo said nothing; he looked away and the doors of the ambulance closed behind him. A sour, bitter flavor began to fill his mouth and his stomach.

…

Kuroo sat in the hospital chair outside the room, frozen in that spot for the past four hours. Daichi only had to get a few stitches for his forehead luckily, but there were still other injuries to his chest and his leg. Kuroo was definitely worried, and he’d been muddled in his thoughts for what felt like days. While he’d been waiting, Daichi’s mom had come to visit. She was anxious to see her son and hardly said a word to Kuroo; he couldn’t help but think to himself that they had the same eyes. Chief Ukai, Sugawara, and Asahi had all come by as well and had offered to wait so Kuroo could go home and get some rest, but he had silently refused. They brought him a bento box for dinner and went home.

It wasn’t until an hour had passed since Daichi’s mother came did she leave the room. She seemed much calmer, which Kuroo hoped was a sign that he was doing okay. He was surprised that she took a seat next to him, and even more so that she spoke to him.

“You’re a colleague of my son’s?” She asked. Kuroo nodded.

“I’m sorry that he got hurt during the operation,” Kuroo mumbled, “I was part of the backup team, I should have gotten there sooner”

“Don’t be sorry, I’m sure you did your best,” She said, “Daichi is always finding ways to get himself into trouble so I’m not surprised, not that I feel any better about it though. He’s always prioritized others over himself”

Kuroo’s chest swelled with a strange pride, but his guilt and anxiety quickly pushed it back down. Daichi’s mother glanced over at him.

“Is Daichi a good friend to you?”

Kuroo looked over at her in surprise. He hadn’t expected that question, but he hardly hesitated to respond with a resounding nod.

“He inspired me to join the police force,” Kuroo said, “I owe him my life”

Daichi’s mother’s face broke out into a smile that reminded Kuroo of Daichi’s smile, big enough to make their eyes shrink to crinkly happy lines.

“I’m glad,” She said, “If my son is doing good with his life like that, then it’s worth all the silly worrying I have to put up with”

She got up from the chair then and gently patted Kuroo’s shoulder.

“I’ll be going now, please tell my son I came by once he wakes up,” She said. Kuroo nodded.

After a few steps in the direction of the exit, she turned around once more. She looked at Kurou, who met her gaze, and bowed her head.

“Thank you for taking care of my son,” She said.

Her head didn’t hang with shame; her shoulders and back were straight. Kuroo could see that she was proud of her son. He could feel tears oddly welling up in his eyes. He stood up to bow as well.

And then she was gone.

Kuroo couldn’t help but feel a little envious of Daichi at that moment, knowing that he had a mom who was looking out for him. This thought brought him back to what he’d been mulling over for the past few hours. He still had no idea what he wanted to say to Daichi, or how he should even approach him. Did he even have a right to? He undoubtedly had lied to Daichi, but he still selfishly wanted to be forgiven and let back in.

God, Kuroo was so pathetic. He just had to be honest. It was up to Daichi if he was going to forgive him or not after all. He took a deep breath before getting up from his chair and walking up to the door of Daichi’s hospital room. Daichi probably wasn’t even awake yet, but Kuroo felt so afraid with his hand just mere inches from the doorknob. His feet were telling him to walk the other way, but he knew that deep down he wanted nothing more than to go inside. He turned the doorknob and stepped forward.

Daichi was sitting upright in bed, facing the perfect angle for the two of them to make immediate eye contact. His face was lit by the first baby rays of the sunrise outside and his eyes were steely cool, not smiling but not angry either. Kuroo let out a tiny squeak in surprise.

“I-I didn’t think you’d be up,” He said.

“I got some sleep but not much,” Daichi said, “I’m doing alright. Come, sit”

Kuroo obeyed meekly, taking the seat across from Daichi’s bed. He hadn’t meant to but his eyes were glued to the floor and he could feel Daichi staring at him. He was at a loss as to what to do. Daichi said nothing; the room was quiet, besides the soft hum of the machines and the air conditioning blowing.

Kuroo looked up, mumbling, “ You’re not going to ask me anything”

Daichi shook his head. “I want you to tell me what you need to say. I’m okay with waiting”

Kuroo gulped as the realization hit him, he really wasn’t cool at all. Daichi was sitting there, looking at him earnestly and while he was being such a chicken. He took a deep breath before he began.

“Daichi, I was once yakuza”

Daichi’s eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing. Kuroo continued.

“My father was a yakuza member before I was born, and I was expected to follow in his footsteps. I spent my whole life around them so I never thought much of all the illegal stuff we did. Looking back, maybe I was too afraid to face the truth so I didn’t think about it,” he explained, “The guy that we saw, his name is Lev. We grew up together, he used to be like a little brother to me”

“I kept staying active in the yakuza until my parents passed away. My dad died when I was in middle school and my mom was always pretty weak so she followed after him. I didn’t let myself have much time to be sad, so I kept on working. I did horrible things, I robbed, I stole, sold drugs, everything. I’m no different than the guys we arrested,” Kuroo said, “But one day, when I was here in Miyagi setting up an illegal arms deal all those years ago…”

“I saw you”

…

It was another day of boring work. Kuroo had been sent here to the stupid countryside just to find somewhere without too many cops to get the arms deal made and he was growing more and more irritated by the day. He hated doing pointless work, and the more and more time he spent with the yakuza the more he realized how pointless it all was.

He just wanted to do something, something meaningful.

“Hey look Kuroo, there’s a crowd over there!” Lev said with a grin, “Let’s go check it out! Maybe it’s a fight”

Kuroo sighed as Lev dragged him along. They somehow managed to shove their way to the front, and Kuroo’s eyes widened at what he saw.

In the middle of the crowd was a large empty space. Police were telling people to get back; in the center there was a man with a gun, wielding it around wildly as he held a young woman, probably a student, to him. She was clearly terrified. There were a few policemen standing around the man with the gun, yelling for him to drop his weapon.

“Sir we need you to drop your weapon! We can help you, we don’t want to hurt you!” Said one of the policemen.

“Shut the fuck up or I’ll blow her head off! Let me go!” He yelled back and the girl under his arm trembled.

The policemen tried to draw in closer but suddenly the man shot up at the sky and members of the crowd screamed.

“I’ll shoot you if you get too close!” He shrieked.

Suddenly, one of the policemen rushed forward. Time seemed to slow as Kuroo watched the crazy man fire off his gun and he watched as the policeman flinched and hesitated for a moment. He was definitely shot. But, he pushed forward nonetheless and tackled the man as he pushed the young woman away. He quickly grabbed the gun and threw it to the side as the crowd began to run away at the sound of the gun firing. Kuroo managed to catch just a quick glimpse of the policeman’s face; his face, rather than showing any signs of pain, shone with determination.

Something deep inside Kuroo’s chest shifted then, like the lid of the jar in which he’d kept all his muddled feelings. He gasped.

“Kuroo we should get out of here, we might attract the feds,” Lev said as he jostled Kuroo’s arm. He had forgotten for a moment that Lev was there with him. Where were they again? What were they even doing?

What had he been doing all this time?

It was hard for him to tear his eyes away from the scene. As he and Lev were leaving, he glanced back once. He’d guessed right; the policeman who had run in had been shot. There was blood on his clothes, but he was too busy reassuring the young woman, who had burst into tears. His face was very gentle as he patted her shoulder.

Kuroo wished that he could put on that kind of face.

…

“I don’t think that it was just chance that I was there that day Daichi,” Kuroo said, “I saw you for a reason. You gave me the courage to step away from all the horrible things I had been absent-mindedly doing. After that day, I left the yakuza and ran away to Tokyo. I enrolled in the police academy there and, well, here I am back in Miyagi”

He looked up at Daichi and tightened his fists, taking in a deep breath, “What I wanted to tell you all this time Daichi was thank you”

“Thank you for being there that day, thank you for saving that girl. Thank you for making me realize that I had been living a good for nothing life before,” Kuroo said, his voice breaking midway through, “Thank you for saving me”

“I’m sorry that I lied to you, at first I was so shocked that it was really you who I would be working with on this case and I couldn’t help but want to get closer to you. But really I was just a coward. I was afraid of what you might think, of what you might say, so I kept it quiet. I’m fucking pathetic, I kno-”

“Kuroo, come here,” Daichi said. He ushered for Kuroo to bring his chair next to Daichi’s bed. Kuroo’s bottom lip trembled when he saw the kindness in Daichi’s eyes, and he felt tears welling up. He carried the chair over and sat down, too afraid to look up. Daichi reached his hand out and wrapped it gently around Kuroo’s, giving them a soft squeeze.

“Thank you for being honest with me,” He said, “When I saw that photo, I didn’t know what to think at first. I was scared. There were times when I thought that something might be going on, especially after we saw your friend at the warehouse that one night, but I decided to have faith in you. I took you off the ground team because I didn’t want to force you to have to arrest your friend, and I was worried that your emotions might get the better of you”

“I’ve known for a long time that you’re a good man. Even if you don’t think that you’re honest, you were sincere when you told me it was okay to be gay. You were sincere too when you were taking care of little Ushijima. I’ve always trusted you,” Daichi said with a smile, “You really are a good guy.”

He pulled Kuroo into a hug and squeezed him gently.

“I’m glad I wasn’t wrong about you”

Kuroo finally let his tears fall, just for a little bit. He was surely soaking Daichi’s hospital gown, but a great wave of relief crashed over him and he just couldn’t stop. He hugged Daichi tight to him and let out a deep, wobbly sigh. Daichi patted his back.

“I’m not as good as you think,” Kuroo said, “I’ve had only selfish desires this whole time. I just wanted to make you look at me, I’ve been so crazy about you this whole time Daichi”

“It’s okay to be a little selfish,” Daichi laughed, “But usually people don’t confess their love before even a first date”

Kuroo pulled away to look at Daichi’s face as his heart began to thump wildly. Daichi had the slightest flush to his face, but he was sincere.

“You’ll really still go on a date with me?” Kuroo asked incredulously.

Daichi nodded and said, “Of course! If you still want to that is”

“I want to I want to,” Kuroo said before he leaned his head against Daichi’s shoulder, “You’re going to be the death of me Daichi, you’re underestimating just how weighty all these years of unrequited love really is”

“I’m strong, I can carry it,” Daichi replied with a proud smile. Kuroo cupped his face with his hands; he wished that his eyes were camera lenses so he could capture this moment into his memory forever.

“Please let me kiss you,” He said.

“You’re asking first this time? What a surpri-”

Before Daichi could finish his teasing remark, Kuroo had already pressed his lips to him. Daichi unintentionally let out a soft gasp at the sudden warmth but he quickly kissed Kuroo back, his hands holding onto Kuroo’s broad shoulders. Daichi tasted surprisingly sweet; Kuroo didn’t want to let the taste get away. He wrapped his arm around Daichi’s waist and tilted his face to deepen the kiss. His tongue flicked past the edge of his lips to brush against Daichi’s, testing the waters, but the soft parting of Daichi’s lips was enough to give him the go-ahead. Kuroo pushed his tongue past Daichi’s lips and explored the sweet warmth as slow and long as he could. Daichi’s tongue was hot and wet against his own, better than any wild fantasy that Kuroo had thought up in the past.

As they kissed deep and slow, Daichi’s hands moved down to rest on Kuroo’s chest. The fast thumping of Kuroo’s heart hummed below his fingertips and made him smile. Kuroo’s hands moved down Daichi’s west to rest on his behind, squeezing gently to feel the soft flesh underneath the thin hospital gown. The sound of Daichi’s heart monitor racing shook both of them from the moment. They paused, looked at one another, and then burst into a fit of laughter.

…

Daichi was released from the hospital after a couple of days and returned back to work after a week. Everyone was happy to see him doing well (no one more so than Kuroo though). The yakuza were tried and charged with illegal gambling and arms dealing and were sent to prison. Everything at the office returned to normal after that, things were luckily quiet in Miyagi for a while.

Kuroo did take Daichi out on that first date; they went to see the new Godzilla movie, that both of them enjoyed very much, and then enjoyed dinner and drinks after. Daichi was all smiles throughout the date, and Kuroo was happy just being able to spend time like this together. AT the end of the night, Kuroo walked Daichi back to his apartment and kissed him goodnight. Daichi cocked an eyebrow, asking Kuroo if he wouldn’t come inside. He thought that Kuroo was a gentleman, but not vanilla. Kuroo’s face flushed red, and Daichi laughed. Kuroo got his revenge though, kissing Daichi speechless and pushing his way into Daichi’s apartment. He ended up spending the night; Daichi wore a high necked shirt and had a strange almost-limp to his walk the next day to work.

From then on, Kuroo would spend most of his evenings at Daichi’s place. Eventually, the two decided to just move in together to save money and the waste of time traveling between Daichi’s place and Kuroo’s place. Daichi’s mom would ask for Kuroo to come over for dinner with the family on Friday evenings; she was a wonderful cook. Kuroo even met Daichi’s sister and little Yachi too.

He was happy, and Daichi was too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At that's the end of the main part of this story! I plan on adding plenty of extra fluffy chapters because I love this AU hehe. I hope you enjoyed the story, I apologize if it was extremely cheesy but I hope it was entertaining nonetheless. It's been a long time since I last wrote any fanfiction but I'm glad I'm back! 
> 
> I also appreciate kudos and comments, lmk if you liked the story and maybe where I can improve! Thank you for reading thus far and please look forward to lots of cute and hot chapters coming soon hehe


	4. Our First Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a detailed telling of their first date LOL I thought it would be cute, hope you enjoy!

Kuroo was standing outside of Daichi’s apartment, pacing back and forth. He was twenty minutes early but he felt like today was an important day to not be late. Today was going to be their first date, and Kuroo wanted to leave a good impression.

Two movie tickets for Godzilla: King of the Monsters were nestled in the breast pocket of his jacket and he was questioning the validity of his choice as he walked back and forth. Last night, he’d talked to Bokuto over the phone for hours about what he should do for their first date; he had completely forgotten that Bokuto was a complete idiot when it came to romantic gestures, to this day Kuroo was still amazed that Akaashi was willing to date that man. Bokuto had originally suggested that Kuroo and Daichi go laser tagging or an arcade for some fun competition but Kuroo decided against it, while Akaashi was the one who actually suggested that they go see a movie and have dinner together afterward.

A chuckle from behind the front door of Daichi’s apartment stopped Kuroo in his pacing tracks. His face instantly began to heat up with embarrassment at being caught. Daichi opened the front door and Kuroo gasped. He was dressed in a teal hoodie with a yellow print, black joggers, white shoes, and Kuroo just wanted to hug him for five hours straight.

“You look good,” Kuroo said.

“Pfft, it's just a hoodie and joggers,” Daichi said.

Kuroo moved forward to wrap his arms around Daichi and give him a big squeeze, taking in a whiff of Daichi’s scent. He smelled like sandalwood and a tiny bit of cinnamon.

“You always look good,” Kuroo insisted.

“Are you always this flirty before a first date?” Daichi teased,

“Only with you,” Kuroo said.

Daichi stood up on his tippy toes to press a kiss next to Kuroo’s ear as he whispered, “We should get going before you get carried away”

Kuroo groaned because he knew that Daichi had him wrapped around his finger. Daichi smirked.

“Where to then Kuroo?” Daichi asked.

“I was thinking we could go see a movie and then go get dinner and drinks,” Kuroo said.

“Sounds good. What movie?” Daichi asked.

“Would you like to watch the new Godzilla movie? I know it might be kind of childish,” Kuroo said as he sheepishly scratched at the back of his neck.

Daichi shook his head and said, “I always liked the Godzilla movies so I’ve been meaning to watch the new movie. I’m excited”

Kuroo smiled.

The two of them walked to the theatre and chatted about what they’d been up to that weekend; Kuroo had been reading a new book about Buddhism in modern Japanese society while Daichi had been practicing a new song on his keyboard. When they got to the theatre, they got a large popcorn and soda to share for the movie. Their seats were towards the center of the dark room, the middle was always the best for seeing the screen optimally, and they sat quietly enjoying the previews before the show.

“I can’t remember the last time I went to see a movie, maybe it was with Sugawara,” Daichi said.

“What did you guys see?”

“I think it was a Ghibli movie, have you seen the Wind Rises?”

“That’s one of my favorites! Definitely one of Miyazaki’s more mature films but I think it was beautiful”

“I liked it a lot too, but it was sad”

“Oh ho, did you cry Daichi”

“I did not, Sugawara did though”

“Ha I’m not surprised”

The movie started and the two watched attentively. There were plenty of crazy monster fight scenes and explosions, as anyone would expect from a Godzilla film. Kuroo glanced over at Daichi a couple of times to catch a glimpse of the excited gleam in his eyes. God, Daichi was too cute for his own good.

During a more relaxed part of the film, after the popcorn and soda had long run out, Kuroo reached his hand over to rest it on top of Daichi’s. Daichi glanced over and smiled, flipping his hand over to interlock their fingers. Godzilla suddenly roared on the big screen and the two turned away to watch the ensuing battle intently. It was a good movie.

…

Kuroo held Daichi’s hand on the walk back from the restaurant. Daichi had originally weakly protested, but Kuroo argued that it was already dark out and there were few people out and about anyways, there was no one to bother them. Secretly Daichi was happy, and he gave Kuroo’s hand a soft squeeze.

“It’s nice out tonight, not too cold,” Kuroo said, “Are you cold”

Daichi shook his head.

“Today was fun,” Daichi said.

Kuroo smiled and said, “I’m glad. I had fun too”

“Are you working tomorrow?” Daichi asked. They were outside of Daichi’s apartment now and the two of them stopped outside the door, facing one another now.

“No I’m not, I have tomorrow off surprisingly,” Kuroo said.

Daichi took a step forward and said, “What a coincidence, me too”. He glanced up at Kuroo and squeezed his hand as he said, “Do you want to come in?”

Kuroo gulped because he had a feeling about where this might go. Of course, he’d thought about it before, having sex with Daichi that is. He’d thought about probably a lot more than he would ever be willing to admit, but now that he was here he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t deny that he’d spent their entire date staring at Daichi, his jaw, his neck, his waist, his backside, everything. He hadn’t even considered this a possibility for the night of their first date so he hadn't brought any lube or condoms, but the convenience stores would be opened so it’d be fine but running to the store would kill the mood but suggesting to do it raw their first time probably wouldn’t sit well with Dai-

Daichi gently flicked the tip of Kuroo’s nose to shake him from his wandering thoughts.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I don’t want to force anything on you,” Daichi said.

Kuroo shook his head vigorously, “No no I want to, you have no idea. I’m just worried, you just got discharged from the hospital you know”

Daichi sighed; for once Kuroo wanted to act like a mature adult when it was the least necessary. Then he thought of an idea to tease him with and smiled. He stood up on his tippy toes to mumble in Kuroo’s ear, “Why don’t you check for me if I’m fully recovered yet”

Kuroo shivered as a current of excitement went down his spine. Daichi’s eyes were challenging him, urging him to step up to the plate; he was happy to comply. He reached a hand down into Daichi’s back pocket, giving his ass a hard squeeze as he reached for the keys to the apartment and opened the door. Daichi gasped at the sudden touch.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Kuroo growled as he slammed the front door shut behind them.

“Hit me with your best shot,” Daichi retorted cheekily.

Kuroo grabbed Daichi by his jaw and pressed their lips together hungrily, licking along Daichi’s bottom lip out of a craving for more touch. Daichi quickly opened his mouth for Kuroo to enter and moaned softly when their tongues connected. Kuroo’s tongue swivels around the warmth of Daichi’s mouth, enjoying the sweet flavor leftover from the wine they’d had with dinner. He gently pulls out and bites at Daichi’s bottom lip, earning a soft moan for his reward. As he began to kiss down Daichi’s neck, Daichi tightened his grip on Kuroo’s shoulders as his internal temp began to climb faster and faster by the minute.

“Bedroom, now,” Kuroo grunted and Daichi pulled him in for another passionate kiss as he walked back down the hallway as best he could with Kuroo’s hands traveling every which way.

Suddenly Daichi was on the bed with Kuroo looming over him, his chest heaving and face looking down at Daichi with an eager, anxious look. Daichi reached up to cup Kuroo’s cheek, gently moving his thumb back and forth.

“You have a nice look on your face,” He said. Kuroo turned to press a kiss into Daichi’s palm but never broke eye contact with him.

“I’m excited,” Kuroo said.

Daichi lifted his knee up to rub against Kuroo’s growing hard-on and said, “I can see that”

“You’re way too composed,” Kuroo groaned before he leaned down to pull Daichi’s shirt up and over his head, “But you won’t be for long”

God, the view from here was fucking gorgeous. Daichi had a great build, strong muscles, and smooth, soft skin that was just mere inches away from Kuroo’s fingertips. Kuroo leaned down to lick a long stripe from Daichi’s ear down to his neck, over his collarbones. He gently began to suck as his hands made their way to Daichi’s chest, rubbing and squeezing in time with the flick of his tongue. Daichi gripped the back of Kuroo’s head as he shivered at the many touches.

“Do you have condoms and lube,” Kuroo mumbled against the fresh kiss mark he’d left of Daichi’s neck.

“I-In the top drawer of the bedside table,” Daichi said, “Hurry”

Kuroo grinned at the sound of Daichi’s eagerness, reaching over quickly to grab the unopened box and bottle. Daichi must have bought them just for today. Kuroo’s heart burst into confetti as he excitedly popped the cap of the bottle open.

“Kuroo come here,” Daichi said. Kuroo was happy to oblige when suddenly Daichi pushed his knees apart and settled his face in between his legs, his fingers reaching upward to undo Kuroo’s belt and zipper.

“Daichi what are you -”

Daichi suddenly stuck his tongue out to flick along the tip of Kuroo’s cock and he hissed. A jolt of pleasure ran up his back as Daichi’s tongue began to touch more, licking along the sides and in a slow circle at the top until suddenly, he opened his mouth to take the top in. The warmth of Daichi’s mouth was more than enough to send Kuroo into a frenzy.

“W-Wait Daichi I need to prep you too, god your mouth feels so good,” He groaned. His hand clutched the back of Daichi’s head as it started to move down further, gradually bobbing up and down. It took all the strength he had left in him not to start fucking Daichi’s mouth, he would absolutely love to see Daichi’s face with strings of his cum all over it.

That would have to be saved for another time however; Kuroo gently nudged Daichi off of him before he came right then and there. Daichi looked up at him confused.

“Let’s change positions,” Kuroo said, “Turn this way”

Kuroo lay down and grabbed Daichi by his hips, swinging his ass in the direction of his face so he could have the best view of Daichi’s plump ass, thick thighs, and pretty entrance. Daichi gasped at the sudden shift and shivered when he could feel Kuroo’s hot breath on his ass.

“I don’t like this position,” Daichi muttered.

Kuroo leaned forward to playfully bite on the skin of Daichi’s ass cheek as his hand gave Daichi’s dripping cock a tug. Daichi moaned at the tough, leaning his head forward against Kuroo’s thigh.

“Just keep doing what you were doing, leave this end to me,” Kuroo said with a smirk.

He quickly coated his index finger with lube as he felt Daichi’s warm tongue press into the tip of his cock. Slowly, he pressed the first digit inside. His other hand kept gently pumping at Daichi’s cock and Daichi’s moan vibrated across Kuroo’s lengths in the most pleasurable way. Kuroo was quick to add a second finger, which Daichi greatly appreciated, and he began to slowly scissor as he lavished in the way Daichi’s hips were subconsciously trembling and moved back to meet Kuroo’s touch. Daichi was gasping as those fingers pushed in deeper, seeking his pleasure point and curling around it just right.

“Kuroo that’s enough, hurry,” He moaned.

Kuroo sat up then, pulling his fingers out as he moved his hands to clutch onto Daichi’s perfect cheeks. He gave them a hard squeeze that made Daichi jolt against the mattress below. Slowly, Kuroo rubbed his cock against Daichi’s hole before pushing into him. Daichi moaned loudly as he grabbed onto the bedsheets with all his might. The sudden tightness clenching down on Kuroo made him grip Daichi’s hips a little too hard. God, Kuroo felt like he was in heaven. He loved looking at the lines of Daichi’s back, his mussed hair, the curve of his hips holding Kuroo in perfectly. Once Kuroo was fully seated inside, he leaned down and pressed kisses along Daichi’s back and shoulders, gently fondling his chest with the occasional twist to his nipple.

“Are you okay Daichi,” He mumbled.

“Mhm but don’t move yet, give me a second,” Daichi mumbled between heavy breaths.

Kuroo leaned his head against the crook between Daichi’s shoulder and neck and let out a satisfied sigh, groaning, “It feels so good inside you”

Daichi turned his face towards Kuroo and angled his head to kiss him, pressing his tongue forward immediately to catch more of Kuroo’s warmth. Kuroo happily kissed him back. Slowly, he pulled his hips backward before pushing them back in and Daichi gasped. Kuroo’s pace began to pick up and every brush against Daichi’s prostate made him unravel further and further. His moans changed in pitch as the feeling of warmth kept building inside.

“I-I’m close,” Daichi groaned.

Kuroo suddenly pulled out then and Daichi began to protest before he was suddenly flipped over onto his back. He and Kuroo were face to face then and Kuroo smirked.

“I want to see your face when I make you come,” He said. Daichi groaned.

“Put it back in then,” Daichi said.

Kuroo pressed his cock back inside with a quick snap of his hips and Daichi jolted as the tip hit his prostate dead on. He cried out as Kuroo resumed his pace from before, shutting his eyes tight as the waves of pleasure rolled over him by the second. His eyelids were heavy and his mouth was open and spilling with moans. Kuroo watched his face lovingly, enjoying this view much better than the one before. He leaned down the caress along his stomach, rubbing circles near his crotch to add just the slightest pressure. Daichi clenched down even tighter and Kuroo hissed, feeling his own orgasm drawing close.

Daichi reached up to wrap his arms around Kuroo’s shoulders, mumbling into his ear, “It feels good right there, I’m close”

Kuroo brought their lips together again messily as he said, “Come for me then, I”m close too”

Daichi nodded his head as the pace of Kuroo’s hips suddenly began to pick up. He groaned appreciatively against Kuroo’s mouth, his head growing lighter and lighter. The pleasure was so intense that his fingers began to dig into Kuroo’s shoulder blades.

The moment he comes there’s a deep buzz in his ears that blocks out everything else. He lets out a piercing moan, breathing hard as his head hits the pillow beneath him. He’s clenching down so hard during his orgasm that Kuroo is quick to follow with a long, low groan. Kuroo’s vision goes white for a second as he closes his eyes and relishes in the high before falling down onto Daichi’s chest.

“That was the best,” Kuroo sighed as he pressed a kiss to Daichi’s chest. He pulled out of Daichi slowly, wrapping up the condom and tossing it to the side before grabbing a couple of tissues to wipe up between them. Daichi still has his eyes barely half-open, watching Kuroo lazily as the last slivers of warmth from his orgasm glide over him. Once Kuroo finished, he laid down next to Daichi and put his arm under Daichi’s head, drawing him close to press a kiss to his lips. He stayed there for a long time, kissing along Daichi’s lips every which way.

“I love you Tetsurou,” Daichi mumbled against his mouth as he raked his fingers tenderly through Kuroo’s dark locks. Kuroo’s eyes widened.

“Of course you use my first name now of all times,” He groaned, “What are you gonna do if I get hard again?”

Daichi laughed and said, “I’d help you of course”

Kuroo wrapped his arms around him tight and kissed the top of his head, saying, “I love you too Daichi”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this took so long because I've written a decent amount of smut scenes and its hard to make them not all sound the same so I tried, sorry that I'm not the best at it LMAO but I hope that it was enjoyable. I'm gonna be adding more chapters too, some more fluff to flesh out their life together from here on out hehe. I greatly appreciate kudos and especially comments, please let me know if you liked the story! Until next time ~


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be the last chapter I add to this fic, but if you'd like to see more added to this universe please let me know and I'll be happy to add more fluffy or smutty chapters! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

It was inevitable, and Kuroo knew that. But, he’d spent the past two years trying to pretend like it wasn’t going to happen. He’d prayed every day that the notice wouldn’t come in, but Chief Ukai had called him into the office with a letter in his hand that was practically synonymous with a death sentence. 

Kuroo was being sent back to the Tokyo Police Department. 

Now, it wasn’t the end of the world, but it felt like the end to Kuroo’s perfect world here in Miyagi. Every morning he got to wake up next to Daichi, who was usually still asleep. He’d plant a quick kiss to Daichi’s forehead before getting out of bed to make two cups of coffee, an espresso for himself and a macchiato for Daichi, or else Daichi would wake up in the grumpiest mood (Kuroo thought he was cute nonetheless). Or sometimes, when Kuroo couldn’t bring himself to pull away from Daichi’s unconscious hold, he’d grab the book he was in the middle of reading from the bedside table and read until Daichi woke up. 

He always got to enjoy Daichi’s cooking too, which was way better than anything Kuroo had learned to make while living alone for five years. Daichi could turn any assortment of ragtag ingredients that they had in their fridge into something tasty, whether it was overripe tomatoes or last night’s Chinese takeout leftovers. He also liked watching Daichi cook; usually, he’d be sitting on the sofa reading a book while Daichi was in the kitchen and he’d look up when the scent of cooking onions and garlic wafted over. Daichi would have his face scrunched in concentration as he carefully measured everything out and gave it all a taste, and when it tasted good his eyes would light up and the corners of his mouth would point up towards the ceiling. Kuroo would let out a soft chuckle under his breath and Daichi would hear him and tell him to get up and help him with preparing the vegetables. 

And, one of his favorite parts about living with Daichi was usually Daichi would go on a run around sunset before dinner, a couple of miles around the neighborhood if he wasn’t feeling too tired from work. The best part was when he came back home from his run and he’d clear a space on the living room floor to stretch. Daichi was thorough about his stretching because he was wary of getting a cramp in the middle of an arrest or a police operation, so he’d devote at least 20 minutes to stretching. Kuroo would find his way quickly to the dinner table with his laptop as an excuse, but he’d peer over the top of the screen to watch Daichi sit on the floor with his legs apart, leaning towards one foot and then the other, letting out the occasional sigh as his muscles relaxed. He’d go through his routine from legs to arms to his back, and Kuroo would enjoy the whole show from his seat at the table. Sometimes he would cheekily make his way over and “help” Daichi with stretching his legs and back, but his hands never seemed to be able to stay in one place. Daichi would protest at first, but a couple of kisses and dirty words in his ear would convince him otherwise. 

All of this was no longer going to be a part of Kuroo’s daily life when he had to go back to Tokyo. 

The notice from Chief Ukai said that he’d be transferred back in a month, which was about enough time to go apartment hunting in the big city and get all of his things together, but Kuroo was nonetheless depressed. What was he going to tell Daichi? It was without a doubt that Kuroo was willing to make long-distance work, but he was worried about how Daichi might take it; there was no way of knowing when he’d be able to come back to Miyagi. 

And then, a brilliant idea struck him 

… 

“You’re going to propose to him!?” Bokuto yelled. 

Kuroo jerked the phone away from his ear at the sudden scream before he said, “I think that it’s a good idea!” 

“How does that solve the problem of you coming back to Tokyo?” Bokuto said incredulously. 

“It’ll be like my promise to him y’know, even if I’m far away I’m gonna be his forever,” Kuroo said. 

“But you guys will still be long-distance,” Bokuto said. 

“I know, but then he won’t have to worry about us breaking up or me leaving him,” Kuroo said. 

“Does he normally worry about those kinds of things?” Bokuto asked. 

Kuroo sighed, “I doubt it, he knows he has me wrapped around his little finger” 

“So why the proposal again?” Bokuto asked. 

“I don’t know, I just want to marry him,” Kuroo said as he fell back against the pillow with a groan, “I want to make it official that we’re gonna be together for the rest of our lives” 

“You’re so sappy, gross,” Boku said before he asked, “You basically want to tie him down to you?”

“You are horrible with words, it’s so much more romantic than that,” Kuroo retorted. 

“Whatever you say man, if you think it's a good idea then go for it,” Bokuto said. 

“All right then, I’m gonna do it this weekend. How should I do it?” Kuroo asked. 

Bokuto took a minute to think before he said, “Maybe serenade him? Or like cover your guys’ bedroom with rose petals and candles” 

“That is the cheesiest shit I’ve ever heard,” Kuroo said. 

Bokuto huffed, “Hey you asked for my help first alright” 

“Okay okay I take it back, but I think it should be more like personal y’know?” Kuroo said. 

“Hm, where’s somewhere that Daichi likes?” Bokuto asked. 

“He likes a lot of restaurants but I don’t think he’d like a public place for a proposal,” Kuroo said. 

“Is there somewhere he hasn’t gone yet that he really wants to go to? Maybe take him there,” Bokuto said. 

Kuroo’s eyes suddenly lit up as he yelled into the phone. Bokuto winced and said, “What did you think of something?” 

“I’ll take him to the beach! He’s never been before and it’s not too far away, it’ll be perfect,” Kuroo said with a huge grin, “Plus he’s been wanting to take a break from work, this is the best idea thank you Bo” 

“See I am helpful after all,” Bokuto said before the sound on his end suddenly added another voice. Kuroo guessed it was Akaashi. 

“Kuroo-san, have you gotten a ring yet?” Akaashi asked as he came onto the line. 

Kuroo gasped. 

… 

After a painstakingly careful mission to get Daichi’s ring measurement (Kuroo had waited until Daichi was asleep before sneakily slipping a thread around his ring finger) and many hours spent at the Jewelers in town, Kuroo had the precious black velvet box sitting in his suitcase. The reservation for the inn was all set up as well, and he’d managed to convince Chief Ukai to let them both off that weekend. When he told Daichi about their trip to the beach, he reacted with excitement and surprise so he hadn’t asked too many questions about the sudden trip, so Kuroo’s physical plans were ready for the weekend ahead. But mentally, he was about as composed as a runaway circus. 

During the car ride to the beach, while Daichi was napping in the passenger seat, Kuroo was trying desperately to think up a good proposal speech. Should he start off by saying that he had to go back to Tokyo in a few weeks? That might ruin the mood from the get-go. Maybe he should start by describing all the reasons why he was in love with Daichi, but that could take hours. Perhaps he should start with the benefits of being married to him, but then that might sound like their marriage would be like some kind of business contract. Maybe he should just keep it short and just pop the question immediately, but that felt too insincere and unromantic. 

By the time they got to the inn Kuroo still had yet to think of a very great plan. All his worries washed away when he saw Daichi’s face light up at the sight of the ocean. Kuroo barely had any time to park the car before Daichi was out of the car and heading down towards the waves like a little kid on Christmas morning. Kuroo hurried along to catch up so he wouldn’t miss seeing Daichi’s face; his eyes were shining as his feet hit the cold ocean water for the first time. He marveled at the salty scent and the sound of waves rolling onto the shore, absorbing in all the new sights at once. 

“I didn’t think the ocean would be like this,” Daichi said. 

“Like what?” Kuroo asked. 

“It’s really nice,” Daichi said softly. 

Kuroo reached out to take Daichi’s hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad you like it,” He said. 

Daichi suddenly leaned in close to press a kiss to Kuroo’s lips. Kuroo’s eyes widened. 

“I’m a lucky man, you never want to do PDA,” Kuroo teased. 

“I’m in a good mood right now,” Daichi said with a laugh, “It’s the least I can do to say thank you for the surprise” 

Kuroo tugged Daichi close to him once more and kissed his lips long and slow. When he pulled away, he gave Daichi’s hand another squeeze. “Let’s take a walk along the shore, we’ll check into our room later,” He said, and Daichi nodded. 

As they walked along the shore, the sun began to set and the sky turned a golden color. There weren’t too many people out on the beach other than themselves so the air was relatively quiet. Kuroo and Daichi didn’t say much, opting instead to just enjoy the setting and each other’s presence. Kuroo was quietly celebrating that he got to hold Daichi’s hand while they were outside for so long. He wished that he’d brought his camera to take a picture of this moment, but instead, he decided to try and absorb as much as he could with his eyes so that he could keep it in his memories. For the first time in a while, he got to see Daichi look completely content. 

And then it struck him that now was the time to do it. His heart began to pound in his chest as he stopped in his tracks. Daichi stopped as well and looked over at him, confused. 

“Um Daichi,” He began, already feeling his voice rise in pitch, “This is probably really sudden, but I got the notice from the Chief that I need to go back to the Tokyo police department in a couple of weeks” 

Daichi’s eyes widened, but Kuroo continued. 

“I don’t know when I could ask to move back to Miyagi, if at all, but I don’t want my job to come between us,” Kuroo said as his hand began to reach for the velvet box in his back pocket, “I want you to know that wherever I am, I’m going to be all yours. I don’t care about distance, I just care about being the best man that I can be for you. So, I have something that I wanted to ask you” 

He knelt down on one knee then and opened the box, looking up at Daichi’s face with earnestness and determination. Daichi’s eyes were shining bright as it hit him what Kuroo was going to say. 

“Daichi Sawamura, will you please marry me?” Kuroo asked. 

Daichi pressed his lips together to try to contain his excitement. He rushed down to wrap his arms around Kuroo and hugged him tightly. 

“I love you Tetsurou,” He mumbled, “Of course I’ll marry you” 

Kuroo’s heart soared as he hugged Daichi back just as tightly, standing up from the ground to swing Daichi in a circle as he yelled out a great cheer. Daichi laughed at being suddenly lifted in the air as he pulled back to look at Kuroo’s face. God, he really did love this man. He leaned down and kissed Kuroo gently, staying there for a long time to enjoy the other’s soft warmth. Kuroo caressed Daichi’s cheek gently with his thumb as he kissed him back. He was the happiest man in the fucking world. 

“I love you so much Daichi,” He said, pressing a kiss to Daichi’s cheek. 

Daichi laughed and said, “I was definitely not expecting to be engaged after this weekend, you’re very good at planning surprises” 

“I had some help,” Kuroo said with a cheeky grin, “I talked to Bokuto, Akaashi, and your mom” 

Daichi’s eyes widened. “You talked to my mom too?” He asked. 

“Of course, I had to ask her for permission,” Kuroo said. 

Daichi squeezed Kuroo tight. “You’re a man after my own heart,” He said with a big smile. 

“And I will be for the rest of my life,” Kuroo said, “Let me put the ring on you” 

Daichi nodded, pulling back slightly as Kuroo gently took his left hand into his. The ring was a simple gold band that sparkled under the light of the sunset. Kuroo gently slid the ring on; when it was in place he lifted Daichi’s left hand to his lips and kissed the ring softly. Daichi’s heart swelled at the sight. 

“You know,” Daichi said, “You’re not the only one with a surprise” 

Kuroo’s eyes widened. “What’s your surprise?” He asked. 

“Ta-da,” Daichi said as he pulled an envelope out of the pocket of his jacket. He placed it into Kuroo’s hand. When Kuroo pulled out the letter from inside he gasped. 

At the top of the letter was the notice that Daichi would be transferred to the Tokyo Police Department within the month. Kuroo looked from the paper to catch Daichi’s gleaming eyes. 

“I’m coming with you!” Daichi said. 

Kuroo tackled him onto the sand, tears of joy forming at the corners of his eyes. 

… 

“Daichi! I bought some snacks if you want some,” Kuroo yelled down the hallway. 

Daichi was in their bedroom, unpacking the last of their many boxes. They’d just moved into their new apartment in Tokyo a couple days ago and things have been incredibly hectic since. Kuroo had insisted that he show Daichi around as much of Tokyo as he could before they started work again, but Daichi was adamant that they unpack everything and get settled in first. Today was supposed to be their last day for unpacking and Kuroo had told Bokuto and Akaashi that they’d all go out tonight to celebrate him and Daichi coming to Tokyo and so that he could finally introduce Daichi to them. Bokuto was excited to finally meet the guy that made Kuroo so mushy gushy. 

Since Daichi hadn’t responded, Kuroo came down the hallway and into the bedroom. He saw Daichi sitting down on the floor, flicking through a photo album that Kuroo had never seen before. 

“What’s that?” he asked as he plopped down onto the floor next to Daichi, wrapping an arm around his waist. 

“Ah, hey,” Daichi said, “My mom gave it to me when I said bye before leaving for Tokyo. It’s a photo album with some pics from me as a kid” 

Kuroo gasped, “Let me see go back to the beginning please” 

Daichi laughed as he turned the page back to the start of the album. There were photos of Daichi as a toddler stuffing his face with grapes, playing at the park, competing in the school sports festival relay. Kuroo’s heart was going to melt at all the cuteness pouring out from the pages. 

“You’re so cute Daichi, I’m going to keep this in our bedside table drawer to look at when I’m sad,” Kuroo said as he leaned his head against Daichi’s shoulder, flipping through the pages with the silliest dopey look on his face. 

“You’re so weird,” Daichi groaned.

“You love me regardless,” Kuroo said with a smirk. He reached up to cup Daichi’s cheek and kiss his lips, giving his waist a small squeeze. 

“Don’t get any ideas, we still have to meet your friends in a couple of hours,” Daichi mumbled against Kuroo’s lips. 

“A couple hours is a long time, we just need to shower and change clothes before we go,” Kuroo said, fingers shifting to find the gap between Daichi’s shirt and skin. “Please?” He said sweetly, exaggerating puppy dog eyes that he knew would work. 

Daichi groaned, “You’re the worst”

Kuroo took that as a yes and proceeded to quickly peel Daichi’s shirt off of him, hungrily pressing their lips together and slipping his tongue inside Daichi’s warm mouth eagerly. Their tongues rolled and slid hotly against each other, burying the soft beginnings of Daichi’s moans. Daichi’s hands reached down to tug at Kuroo’s shirt as he pulled away to catch his breath. 

“Take yours off too,” He mumbled, a strand of saliva hanging from the center of his lips. His eyes were alight with want and Kuroo shivered, pulling his own shirt off quickly before reconnecting their lips. 

Daichi wrapped his legs around Kuroo’s waist, pulling their hips together and they both groaned at the sweet, sweet friction. Before Kuroo lost too much self-control, he hurried to reach over and grab the lube and condoms from the bedside table. He coaxed Daichi’s shorts and briefs off with ease, pressing kisses and nipping gently at the soft skin that came into view. Daichi leaned back against the floor, propping himself up just barely with his arms as he began to tremble under the heat of Kuroo’s touches. Suddenly, Kuroo’s coated finger prodded at his entrance and he gasped. Before he could say another word, Kuroo had already begun to push inside, slowly at first but eager to pick up the speed as his finger slid in and out. 

“K-Kuroo wait, slow down,” Daichi groaned, feeling the pricks of pleasure every time Kuroo’s fingertip brushed against his prostate. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll make you feel good,” Kuroo said, and then his tongue flicked out to touch the tip of Daichi’s swollen cock. He quickly took the top half of Daichi’s cock into his mouth, licking up and around as he hollowed his cheeks to increase the tightness inside. Daichi cried out at the dual pressure from his back and front, gripping hard onto the back of Kuroo’s head. When Kuroo began to move his head down Daichi’s length, he added a second finger and began to make a scissoring motion inside as Daichi’s moans grew louder. His left hand squeezed the base of Daichi’s cock gently to keep him from coming, but the cool metal of their wedding band brushing against Daichi’s skin made him shiver. 

“I’m ready already, could you hurry up Tetsurou,” he groaned. 

His eyes were half-open and screamed his need for connection. Kuroo popped off of Daichi’s cock with a playful kiss to the tip before he wiped his mouth with his hand, ripping open and sliding on the condom in a matter of seconds. Daichi pulled his knees apart further in anticipation as Kuroo slid in between and leaned down to kiss Daichi once again. Their aching cocks rubbed against each other as their lips and tongues met sloppily and Daichi couldn’t help but buck his hips up, desperate for more of Kuroo’s touch.

Kuroo reached down to interlock his right hand with Daichi’s left, lifting it up to his lips to kiss the bedazzled ring finger. “I love you Daichi,” He whispered. 

He guided his cock to Daichi’s entrance, taking in a deep breath before he began to push it past Daichi’s tight ring. Daichi cried out and squeezed Kuroo’s hand tightly, pain and pleasure mixing together as he tried to relax. Slowly, Kuroo fully settled himself inside and exhaled deeply, savoring the warm tight heat as he watched Daichi’s face leaned against the floor of the bedroom. An idea suddenly struck him. Kuroo reached down, wrapped his two arms around Daichi’s waist, and pulled him up, seating him completely in Kuroo’s lap. Daichi groaned as Kuroo’s cock pushed itself even deeper into him during the sudden shift in position. 

“I wanted to be closer to you,” Kuroo said with a grin, “You were too far from me on the ground” 

Their faces and chests were mere centimeters apart now. Daichi stared at Kuroo’s face, so happy and eyes shining so brightly, that his heart began to swell in his chest. He loved this man so much. Daichi wrapped his arms around Kuroo’s shoulders and leaned down to kiss him deeply. 

“I’m really lucky I got to meet you Tetsurou,” Daichi mumbled happily, “I love you” 

“Nah, I’m the luckiest man in the world,” Kuroo replied. 

With a snap of his hips, Kuroo thrust deep into Daichi as his hands grabbed onto Daichi’s hips and thick thighs, pulling them down to meet him halfway. Daichi cried out against Kuroo’s lips, holding onto Kuroo’s shoulders tightly as he could. His vision went white as he came hard, tightening around Kuroo so hard that Kuroo was coming just a few moments after. Both were panting hard as the waves of pleasure rolled over them, lazily pressing open-mouthed kisses to each other's skin. 

Daichi glanced over at the clock on their bedside table before he turned back to Kuroo, reaching down and giving his arm a squeeze. “We hypothetically have time still for a second round,” he said with a smirk. 

Kuroo grinned. 

“Let’s make the most of it then,” He said, pulling Daichi in for another kiss. 

… 

“I shouldn’t have encouraged you, we’re most definitely late now, ” Daichi groaned. They were in the back of a taxi heading to the bar where Kuroo had picked for the night, fifteen minutes past the planned meet up time. 

“I doubt Bokuto and Akaashi are on time either, Bokuto is always late to things,” Kuroo said calmly, “Besides, it was fun” 

Daichi rolled his eyes. 

When they got the bar, two people were sitting outside on the bench talking. One man had mountainous shaped white hair with black spiking up from the roots, speaking energetically with an eager expression plastered onto his face, while the other man was much calmer with a still expression and a small mouth. 

“Are those your friends?” Daichi asked; Kuroo nodded eagerly, tugging Daichi along as he ran over to greet them. 

Bokuto looked over and his eyes lit up when he saw Kuroo. He jumped up to run over and greet Kuroo with a bear hug, yelling, “Hey hey hey! It’s been so long Kuroo!” 

Kuroo grinned as he slapped Bokuto on the back and said, “You’re as eager as ever dumbass, quit yelling in public” 

Akaashi walked over to where the three were standing and smiled, saying, “It’s good to see you Kuroo. Is this Daichi-san” 

Daichi blinked twice in surprise. “You guys know me?” He asked. 

Bokuto laughed, “Do we know you? Kuroo is always giving us an earful about how much he adores you” 

Kuroo’s face turned bright red and he reached over to hit the back of Bokuto’s head, which he quickly dodged before trying to land a hit of his own. Akaashi laughed. Daichi watched the two of them with amused wonder. 

“Kuroo is always calling Bokuto and me when he has something to brag about,” Akaashi explained, “It’s usually you. I’m glad to get to meet you in person finally” 

Daichi laughed as he felt the flush of embarrassment rise to his cheeks. 

“It’s nice to meet you too!” 

… 

After a long night of drinking and plenty of oversharing from Bokuto, much to Kuroo’s dismay, the two pairs had parted ways with promises to meet again soon. Daichi and Kuroo were walking back up their apartment, hand in hand. 

“That was a lot of fun,” Daichi said, “I like Bokuto and Akaashi” 

“We’ll probably hang out with them again soon,” Kuroo said, “I’m glad you had fun” 

Daichi smiled and gave Kuroo’s hand a squeeze as he said, “I liked learning about those different sides of you, their stories of you were cute” 

Kuroo groaned, “Only you would think that those stories are cute” 

“Yup,” Daichi said with a grin, “Just for your information, I think everything about my husband is cute”

Kuroo gasped at the sudden use of the title and the area from his cheeks to his ears went strawberry red. 

“I love you so much”


End file.
